Mosquito Island

For the island located in the extreme south-west of Senegal, see Mosquito Island (Senegal).

Mosquito Island.

Mosquito Island (sometimes spelled Moskito Island) is off the coast of Virgin Gorda and has long been a favourite for scuba divers and sailors. Sir Richard Branson purchased the island in 2007 for £10M. His company Virgin Limited Edition plans to turn the island into a premier Ecotourism resort in the British Virgin Islands and will pay huge attention to and consideration of the environment to minimize its carbon footprint throughout its development.

Branson announced recently that he plans to relocate Ring-tailed Lemurs from some zoos in Canada, Sweden, and South Africa to the island. Later relocations of Red Ruffed Lemurs and possibly Sifakas may follow. The announced plans were met with some criticism.

The island is located on the west side of Gorda Sound adjacent to Virgin Gorda and near Necker Island, which is also owned by Branson.

Name

On old nautical charts of the British Virgin Islands, the island's name is often spelled "Moskito" (possibly as an older spelling of "mosquito" - older versions of the English language did make greater use of etymological spelling). Although modern charts usually spell the island "Mosquito" Island, and the Land Registry of the British Virgin Islands titles the island as "Mosquito" Island, Richard Branson has expressed a preference for "Moskito" Island, and most of the publicity material relating to his development has used that spelling.