There are over 40 islands in the Egyptian Red Sea. That
all of them are uninhabitedit and lack terrestrial predators
makes them safe havens for nesting sea turtles and a
number of sea and shore birds. As the islands are extremely
vulnerable to man's meddling, 22 of them are protected
by the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs.
These are among the most pristine and unspoiled places
on earth with their air of tranquil beauty and the silence
that is broken only by the cries of birds and the lapping
of the sea.
An archipelago at the mouth of the Gulf of Suez consists
of more than 22 islands, while at the mouth of the Gulf
of Aqaba the two large islands of Tiran and Sanafir
are located; among the more important islands south
of Hurghada there are the islands of Safaga, Wadi Gimal
and the Hamata group, Zabargad (St John's Island) and
the much smaller el-Akhawain (Brothers) islands. Smaller
groups of islands are found off the delta of Wadi Adaldiib
and the village of Abu Ramad. The southernmost island
is Halayib.
Vegetation on the islands is generally low and sparse, consisting mainly of a few halophytic species. Mangroves, Avicennia marina, are found on some of the islands and form habitat not only for nesting birds but also for a variety of crustaceans.
Among the most fascinating of the shoreline creatures
are the Land Hermit Crabs, Coenobita sp., which
have gill chambers that allow them to stay out of water
for varying lengths of time. During the day some species
live in burrows or rest in shady coastal vegetation.
They help to maintain the pristine beaches by cleaning
every scrap of organic matter off them during the night
so that in the morning the beaches are spotless. These
busy little crabs are truly among nature's clean-up
squads.
Two species of lizards, the Turkish Gecko, Hemidactylus
turcicus, and the Small-spotted Lizard, Mesalina
guttulata, and the Saharan Sand Snake, Psammophis
aegyptius, have been seen on some of the larger
islands. The beaches on a number of the islands form
suitable nesting habitat for marine turtles, notably
the Hawksbill, Eretmochelys imbricata, and
the Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas. The other
three species of turtles that have been reported from
the Red Sea have not been found nesting. Sixteen
species of birds are reported to breed on the Red Sea
islands including the Brown Booby, Sula leucogaster,
and the White-eyed Gull, Larus leucophthalmus,
which is endemic to the Red Sea. It has been estimated
that 30% of the world population of the White-eyed Gull
breeds on the islands at the mouth of the Gulf of Suez.
In spring and autumn numerous migrating birds use the
islands as resting places. The islands also host a significant
population of breeding Sooty Falcons, Falco concolor.
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