Editing Peros Banhos (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Biot-map.png|thumb|right|200px|Location map of Chagos Archipelago, with Peros Banhos]]
The atoll has a total area of {{convert|503|km2|0|abbr=on}}, but a land area of only {{convert|9.6|km2|1|abbr=on}}, made up by some 32 islets. {{convert|490|km2|0|abbr=on}}, most of the remaining surface is occupied by the lagoon, which is connected to the open sea and the [[coral reef|reef flat]].

Peros Banhos is a medium-sized coralline atoll circled by a regular [[coral reef]], similar to those in the neighboring [[Maldives]]. The diameter of the lagoon, known as ''Baie de Peros Banhos'' in French, is just above 20&nbsp;km. The circling reef is sunken on its southeastern rim. All islands are flat and sandy and the largest ones are covered with [[coconut]] trees.

The largest and most important island in the group is [[Île du Coin]]. It was home to the Perch Settlement from where the coconut plantations of the atoll were run. This island was the main port of the atoll and had a jetty to load and unload merchandise.

Île du Coin was the only island that was settled permanently in Peros Banhos. Other important islands in the atoll that had buildings on them and were also occasionally inhabited were [[Grande Soeur, Peros Banhos|Grande Soeur]], [[Île Diamant]], [[Île Manoël]] and [[Île Pierre]]. All these islands were part of the former coconut plantation run from Île du Coin.

[[Île Yeye]], at the northeastern corner of the atoll, is the island of the Chagos that is closest to the [[Maldives]]. The distance between [[Île Yeye]] and Gan Island ([[Addu Atoll]]) is {{convert|523|km}}.

There have been some changes in the geography of this atoll since the first maps were published in the mid-19th century. Île St. Brandon, which was covered with coconut trees when the first survey of this atoll was done, is now just a sandbank. On the other hand, in the western rim of Peros Banhos, the island north of Île Verte was only a small sandbank at the time of Commander [[Robert Moresby]]'s Survey in 1837, but now it is a medium-sized island covered with vegetation.