| About Agalega Islands  General
| Main Villages | Vingt Cinq Village (North Island)
La Fourche Island | | Administrative Area | Ste. Rita Village (South Island) | | Outstanding Services | Meteo Station (Meteorological Services)
Police Station (Police Department) - North/South Island
Telecom Office (Mauritius Telecoms) - North Island
Primary school (Ministry of Education) - Jacques Le Chartier Govt School
Hospital (Ministry of Health) | | Land Regions | North Island - 12.5 kms long & 1.5 km wide
South Island - 7 kms long & 4.5 km wide
Both island have a land area of 2600 hectares | | Climate | Hot & humid climate
Annual temperature average 26 oC with a minimum of 22.5 oC & a maximum of 30.6 oC.
April is the hottest month and August the worst. During the mild winter period May to October anti-cyclones in the region favours a moderately strong wind from an East - South East direction. | | Highest Elevation | Colline D’Emerez (North) | | Lowest Elevation | Sea level | | Environment | Agalega has a total land area of 2600 hectares make Agalega’s tropical climate
relatively comfortable. | | Wildlife | Mangrove swamps cover both islands. In contract to the richness of marine life, few inland animal inhabit the islands. Ibis the unique bird that could be found there. | | Administration | Run by OIDC | | Court system | Visiting Magistrate from Mauritius | | Head of Department | General Manager - OIDC | | Head on Agalega | Resident Manager | | Population | 300 | | Official language | English | | Spoken Language | Creole | | Dominating Religion | Roman Catholic | Back to top | The Economy Currency :
Mauritian rupees Goods Exported :
Coconut Oil and Other by-products Agalega’s economy is based primarily on coconut exploitation. Agricultural diversification is being envisaged to reduce Agalega’s dependence on coconut only. | 
| Back to top Infrastructure Water :
No piped system exists on both islands
Water for drinking and cooking purposes is collected mainly through run-offs from roof tops
Water from other purposes is taken up from wells Sewerage :
No piped sewerage disposal.
Partly equipped with flush toilet facilities connected to soak pits. Roads :
Made of coral and sand Electricity :
Electricity supply generator by diesel generators are provided to office premises and staff quarters 3 hours daily.
OIDC is presently working on an electricity project to supply all hours with electricity. Back to top Communications Air :
One landing strip made up of compacted coal and sand is found in North Island with a small terminal building.
Light aircrafts can land and take off. Sea :
No harbour.
Ships, which visited Agalega for transportation of provisions, had to anchor in the high sea at some 500 metres from the jetty situated at St. James Anchorage, North Island. Telecommunications :
Overseas Telecommunication is made possible through the Mauritius Telecoms at North Island. Education :
Pre-primary and Primary school
Facilities exist up to Std. VI in North Island . Jacques Le Chartier Government School.
After successful completion of primary education, the children are sent to Mauritius for further secondary education. Health :
Each island has a dispensary each of which is , run by a Nursing Officer and a mid-wife.
Doctors from Mauritius tour the island on regular short missions. Back to top History The twin islands of Agalega may have been known to the Malays and to the Arabs. They may also have been perceived by the Portuguese, those indefatigable sailors who scoured the Indian Ocean in the XVIth century. It may equally be true that, when in 1512 Don Pedro de Masceranhas visited the already known Archipelago of Mauritius and Bourbon and called them by the collective name of the Mascarenes, he also gave the names of Agalega and Ste. Marie (off the East coast of Madagascar) in honour of two of his ships, "Le Galega" and "Santa Maria". Be that as it may, a school of thought now accepts that the islands were discovered and baptised in 1501 by Juan de Nova, who was a Galician in the employ of the Portuguese and who was nicknamed ‘Jean Gallego’ by his sailors. An extract from Les Nouvelles Annales de Voyage (Tome 38, page 88) reads : L’Ile Galega , avec l’article A’Galega (La Galicienne), porte ce nom parce qu’elle fut decouverte en 1501 par Juan de Nova, galicien, au service du Portugal, qui commandait une flotte destinee pour les Indes. En revenant en Europe, ce meme navigateur decouvrit les iles de l’Ascension et Sainte Helene’. Sir Robert Scott, in his "Lumuria", however argues that Agalega was discovered in 1509 and was named Baixas da Gale or Galeass Bank because when Diego Lopos de Seqaiera came alongside the islands he jocularly told his pilots that a "galeass" had foundered there joining itself to the banks and thus making them so long". Subsequent maps published showed Agalega as Gale, Galera, Galega and finally Agalega | 
