Saint Brandon, Outer islands of Mauritius, Mauritius
Saint Brandon, also known as the Cargados Carajos Shoals, is an Indian Ocean archipelago of sand banks, shoals, and islets located about 430 kilometers northeast of Mauritius. Saint Brandon is made up of five island groupings, with between 28 and 40 islands and islets in total, depending on seasonal storms and sand movements. There are 22 named islands and shoals in the area. The archipelago is low-lying and susceptible to significant submersion in severe storms. The region’s economic activity is limited to fishing on the vast shallow bank that surrounds the islands. The majority of the islands were used as fishing sites by the early nineteenth century. Geographically, the Archipelago is located on the Mascarene Plateau, which was formed by the split of the Mauritia microcontinent.