A Forbidding Landscape When I was 14, my family and I visited the
Seychelles. It’s an island nation in the Indian Ocean. At the time, I dreamed of visiting the far southwestern edge of that country— Aldabra Atoll. Twenty years later, I fulfi lled that dream when I fi nally travelled to those distant islands. Although Aldabra is in the tropics, it’s far
from a lush, tropical paradise. T e four main islands of the atoll rise just 8 meters above the surface of the ocean. For most of the year, they are bone dry. T e rain that does fall during the brief rainy season quickly drains away. Only thorny shrubs and grasses can survive in the thin, dry soil. T e nonstop grind of waves, wind, and
rain carved the ancient corals into a maze of jagged rocks. When I trek across the land, the rocks slash my hiking boots. I’m sure they’ll be destroyed in no time. T is is a brutal land. Yet it’s a sanctuary for many amazing animals, including giant tortoises, coconut crabs, and an elusive, fl ightless bird called the white-throated rail.
THE GROWTH OF ALDABRA
An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef that surrounds a shallow lagoon. The corals often sit on the rim of an extinct volcano. One of the largest atolls in the world, Aldabra, was made when a volcano erupted from the sea fl oor and pierced the surface of the ocean.
A volcano erupts from the ocean fl oor. As lava builds up, the volcano eventually breaks the surface of the water, forming an island.
Corals colonize the shallow water around the volcano.
Aldabra Atoll is made up of four coral islands which surround a shallow lagoon. A coral reef rings the islands.
AFRIC ✪A
INDIAN OCEAN
The Seychelles are made up of 115 islands.
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