Îles des Madeleines

Dakar Harbor, showing the Îles des Madeleines as well

The Iles des Madeleines lie west of Dakar in Senegal. The islands are uninhabited. The main island is Sarpan, known for its Stone Age tool finds. The islands are also known for their birds, fish and plant life.The cliffs are steep, and had been carved by the sea over millions of years

Isles des Madeleines National Park

The Îles des Madeleines and Cap Manuel, as seen "à trois lieues de distance le soir" by René Antoine Verdun de la Crenne

Le Parc National des Iles de la Madeleine is the smallest national park in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List site. Because of its apparent barrenness and the past inability to cultivate the land of the island, local lore dictates that evil spirits inhabit it which prevent its being populated.

Sarpan (Île aux Serpents), the largest of the islands, is also home to an extremely rare subspecies of Phaeton, a marine bird found only on the Îles des Madeleines and the Galapagos Islands.

See also

• List of islands of Senegal
• Deux Mamelles

References

• World Database on Protected Areas / UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), 2008.
• Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Protection de la nature, des Bassins de rétention et des Lacs artificiels: Parcs et réserves, 13 October 2005.