Editing Cosmoledo (section)

==Geography==
Cosmoledo Atoll is a [[raised coral atoll]] that is 17&nbsp;km long east–west, and 12.5&nbsp;km north–south. The islands land area is 5.2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, and the [[lagoon]] and the reef flats have an area of 145&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. The closest island is [[Astove Island]], 35&nbsp;km farther south. The lagoon is up to 8.2&nbsp;metres deep. Geologically, it is the twin of [[Astove Island]], standing on the same volcanic basement measuring 85&nbsp;km from north to south and 52&nbsp;km from east to west and rising from a depth of over 4&nbsp;km. The two islands are sometimes known together as the Cosmoledo Group. The two peaks join at a depth of around 1&nbsp;km. Unlike the steep wall of Astove, the sea floor falls gradually to about 50&nbsp;metres over a distance of up to a kilometer then more steeply reaching 500 metres in about 1.5&nbsp;km. Two main passes lead from the ocean to the shallow lagoon, one northwest of South Island and one (Grande Passe) between Pagoda Island and Wizard Island. On the western coast, elevated reef rock forms undercut headlands mirroring the waves of the sea and separated by sandy beaches. There are sand dunes in the north and south, rising to about 10 meters.

===List of islands===
The Constitution of Seychelles names 20 islands although there are also a number of unnamed islets in the atoll.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!&nbsp;!!Island!!Sobriquet!!type!![[Geographic coordinate system|Location]]!!Area<br />(hectares)!!Coastline (km)!!Length (km)!!Width (km)!!elevation (m)
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|1||||||cay||{{Coord|09|40|00|S|47|33|54|E}}|| align=right|0.22|| align=right|0.20|| align=right|0.07|| align=right|0.03|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|2||West North||''Île du Nord''||island||{{Coord|09|39|39|S|47|34|20|E}}|| align=right|12.10|| align=right|2.26|| align=right|0.83|| align=right|0.17|| align=right|8.00<ref name="sailing">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120508084147/http://msi.nga.mil/MSISiteContent/StaticFiles/NAV_PUBS/SD/Pub171/Pub171bk.pdf 2010 Sailing directions]</ref>
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|3||Central North|| ||cay||{{Coord|09|39|35|S|47|34|46|E}}|| align=right|0.51|| align=right|0.36|| align=right|0.09|| align=right|0.08|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|4||East North||''Île Nord-Est''||island||{{Coord|09|39|48|S|47|35|10|E}}|| align=right|6.30|| align=right|1.40|| align=right|0.37|| align=right|0.45|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|5|||| ||cay||{{Coord|09|40|06|S|47|35|50|E}}|| align=right|0.47|| align=right|0.38|| align=right|0.09|| align=right|0.09|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|6|||| ||cay||{{Coord|09|40|28|S|47|36|36|E}}|| align=right|0.42|| align=right|0.29|| align=right|0.05|| align=right|0.06|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|7||Trou||''Île du Trou''||cay||{{Coord|09|41|19|S|47|37|45|E}}|| align=right|0.32|| align=right|0.30|| align=right|0.13|| align=right|0.04|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|8||North Goëlettes|| ||cay||{{Coord|09|41|58|S|47|38|40|E}}|| align=right|2.50|| align=right|0.95|| align=right|0.37|| align=right|0.15|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|9||South Goëlettes|| ||cay||{{Coord|09|42|07|S|47|38|48|E}}|| align=right|0.29|| align=right|0.33|| align=right|0.15|| align=right|0.03|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|10||Grande Polyte|| ||island||{{Coord|09|43|14|S|47|39|26|E}}|| align=right|27.70|| align=right|4.00|| align=right|0.21|| align=right|1.64|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|11||Petite Polyte|| ||island||{{Coord|09|43|46|S|47|39|24|E}}|| align=right|1.68|| align=right|0.59|| align=right|0.20|| align=right|0.10|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|12||Wizard Island||''Grande Île''||island||{{Coord|09|45|00|S|47|39|00|E}}|| align=right|160.40|| align=right|9.60|| align=right|3.6|| align=right|0.56|| align=right|17.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|13||Pagode|| ||cay||{{Coord|09|45|48|S|47|36|24|E}}|| align=right|5.00|| align=right|1.24|| align=right|0.42|| align=right|0.19|| align=right|6.10 <ref name="info">[http://www.virtualseychelles.sc/index.php/culture/2013-08-21-09-23-55/seychelles-archipelago-vii Info on the islands] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413222656/http://www.virtualseychelles.sc/index.php/culture/2013-08-21-09-23-55/seychelles-archipelago-vii |date=April 13, 2016 }}</ref>
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|14||South||''Île du Sud-Ouest''||island||{{Coord|09|46|13|S|47|34|58|E}}|| align=right|42.30|| align=right|6.5|| align=right|0.25|| align=right|2.92|| align=right|6.00<ref name="sailing"/>
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|15||Moustiques||''Île aux Moustiques''||island||{{Coord|09|43|57|S|47|30|35|E}}|| align=right|1.90|| align=right|0.66|| align=right|0.24|| align=right|0.11|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|16||Baleine||''Île Baleine''||island||{{Coord|09|43|28|S|47|30|40|E}}|| align=right|1.05|| align=right|0.45|| align=right|0.10|| align=right|0.14|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|17||Menai|| ||island||{{Coord|09|43|S|47|31|E}}|| align=right|246.80|| align=right|10.05|| align=right|1.10|| align=right|3.18|| align=right|12.20<ref name="info"/>
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|18||Bat||''Île aux Chauve-Souris''||island||{{Coord|09|42|55|S|47|31|15|E}}|| align=right|0.12|| align=right|0.14|| align=right|0.03|| align=right|0.03|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|19||Macaques||''Île aux Macaques''||island||{{Coord|09|42|17|S|47|31|51|E}}|| align=right|0.55|| align=right|0.33|| align=right|0.06|| align=right|0.10|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|20||West Rat||''Île aux Rats''||island||{{Coord|09|42|20|S|47|31|38|E}}|| align=right|0.08|| align=right|0.12|| align=right|0.03|| align=right|0.05|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|21||East Rat||''Île aux Rats''||island||{{Coord|09|42|19|S|47|31|41|E}}|| align=right|0.11|| align=right|0.15|| align=right|0.04|| align=right|0.02|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|22||La Croix||''Ilot la Croix''||island||{{Coord|09|42|17|S|47|31|42|E}}|| align=right|0.22|| align=right|0.22|| align=right|0.05|| align=right|0.06|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|23||Observation|| ||island||{{Coord|09|42|14|S|47|32|09|E}}|| align=right|0.46|| align=right|0.33|| align=right|0.05|| align=right|0.10|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|24||Middle||''Îlet Milieu''||island||{{Coord|09|42|10|S|47|32|14|E}}|| align=right|0.56|| align=right|0.50|| align=right|0.20|| align=right|0.05|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|25||Little Astove|| ||cay||{{Coord|09|41|47|S|47|33|00|E}}|| align=right|0.22|| align=right|0.19|| align=right|0.06|| align=right|0.04|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #FFC;"
| align=right|26|||| ||cay||{{Coord|09|40|16|S|47|33|42|E}}|| align=right|0.03|| align=right|0.08|| align=right|0.03|| align=right|0.01|| align=right|0.00
|- style="background: #DDD;"  class="sortbottom"
| align=right|&nbsp;||'''Cosmoledo Atoll'''||||Atoll||{{Coord|09|43|S|47|35|E}}|| align=right|513.00|| align=right|&nbsp;|| align=right|&nbsp;|| align=right|&nbsp;|| align=right|10
|}
{{GeoGroupTemplate}}
The South-East passage is between Pagoda Island and Wizard Island.
Menai Island west coast is sandy. Johannes Point, the NW extremity of the island, is conspicuous. The village is located at this point.

[[File:Cosmoledo Atoll.JPG|thumb|400px|Cosmoledo Atoll, astronaut photo from the [[ISS]], 2003]]