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Carnac Island facts for kids

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Carnac Island
Carnac is wa gnangarra.jpg
Carnac Island photographed from C. Y. O'Connor Beach
Carnac Island map.png
Geography
Location Indian Ocean
Coordinates 32°7′22″S 115°39′49″E / 32.12278°S 115.66361°E / -32.12278; 115.66361
Administration

Carnac Island (Noongar: Ngoorloormayup) is a 19-hectare (47-acre), A Class, island nature reserve about 10 km (6.2 mi) south-west of Fremantle and 3.5 km (2.2 mi) north of Garden Island in Western Australia.

History

In 1803, French explorer Louis de Freycinet, captain of the Casuarina, named the island Île Pelée (Bald Island). It was also known as Île Lévilian and later Île Berthelot. In 1827, James Stirling changed its name to Pulo Carnac Island in honour of John Rivett Carnac, Second Lieutenant on his ship HMS Success. "Pulo" is Malay for "Island"; it is not known why Stirling included the term, and it was soon dropped. In the early days of the Swan River Colony the island was used as a penal settlement for Indigenous Australians.

Carnac is wa gnangarra
Carnac Island photographed from C. Y. O'Connor Beach
Sea lions on carnac island april 2009
Sea lions on Carnac Island
CSIslands
Location of Carnac Island, Western Australia

Fauna

The island is home to Australian sea lions, bottlenose dolphins and a large range of marine bird life. It is particularly noted for the abundance of snakes, particularly tiger snakes, which live there. For this reason, very few people venture there. There is no permanent fresh water, providing a challenge for the animals that live there. The origins of the tiger snake colony has attracted significant debate and research into how that species has adapted to a harsh island habitat.

Carnac is classified as an Important Bird Area because it supports a large colony of the vulnerable fairy tern, as well as small numbers of other nesting seabirds.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Isla Carnac para niños

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