Zembra

Zembra (Tunisian Arabic: زمبرة Zimbraⓘ) is a Tunisian island. The island is a 432-metre-tall (1,417-foot) rock formation, and as such contains many 400 metre-high cliffs. It has an area of 369 hectares (912 acres).[1] Located 15 kilometres (8 nautical miles) from El Haouaria and 50 km (27 nmi) from the port of La Goulette, it is a natural extension of the peninsula of Cap Bon. Zembra is a natural fortress that housed a resort until 1976 and then passed into the hands of the Tunisian army. On the southern coast there are remains of an ancient harbour.

View of Zembra (left) and Zembretta (right)
Satellite image of Zembra.

Zembra is most probably the same as the island called Aegimouros (Ancient Greek: Αἰγίμορος) by many ancient writers.[2][3][4] Pliny the Elder called both Zembra and Zembretta Aegimuri.[5]

Environment

Zembra has a fragile ecosystem[6] and has been classified as a protected area by UNESCO since 1977.[7][8] With the nearby island of Zembretta, it is also classified as an Important Bird Area (TN003).[9] The island has a Mediterranean climate. The native soils include rock, clay, sand and magnesium lime.

Flora and fauna

Zembra is a local hotspot (nano-hotspot) for the vascular flora on the scale of Tunisia, and an Important Plant Area (IPA) for North Africa.[10] The island's vegetation consists of about 266 plant species; the flora is characterised by a canopy of dense bush, including olive, Phoenician juniper and gorse, and the presence of rare plants which favour saline soils.

There are also invertebrates and terrestrial mammals introduced by humans, such as rabbit, Corsican sheep, black rat and feral cat. Dolphins are also common in the waters surrounding the island. The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus (CR) which used to visit the island, was last seen in 1975.[9]

In addition, Zembra is located on an avian migration route between Tunisia and the Strait of Sicily, and hosts more than 25,000 pairs of migrating birds which nest in the rocky cliffs. The island is home to the largest colony of Scopoli's shearwaters in the Mediterranean (20,000 breeding pairs). The 9 km of cliffs of the island also hold 10 breeding pairs of Peregrine falcons Falco peregrinus, one of the highest densities known for this species. Other breeding birds include the rare Audouin's gulls Larus audouinii (10 pairs), European shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis and Caspian gulls Larus cachinnans (100 pairs).[9]

The island, along with the neighbouring islet of Zembretta, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.[11]

References
  1. Directory of marine and coastal protected areas in the Mediterranean region, MAP technical reports series n°26, éd. Programme des Nations unies pour l'environnement, Nairobi, 1989, p. 151 (in French)
  2. Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, §A42.3
  3. Ptolemaeus, Geography, §4.3.44
  4. Strabo, Geography, §2.5.19
  5. Pliny the Elder, Natural History, §5.7.1
  6. Online report of monitoring of flora on the archipelago Zembra and Zembretta Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  7. A rich biological reserve and the presence of rare species in Tunisia La Presse de Tunisie, 26 September 2006 (in French and Arabic)
  8. (in French) Michel Prieur, La mise en œuvre nationale du droit international de l'environnement dans les pays francophones : actes des troisièmes journées scientifiques du Réseau droit de l'environnement de l'Agence universitaire de la francophonie, Yaoundé, Cameroun, 14-15 juin 2001, éd. Presses universitaires de Limoges, Limoges, 2003, p. 461 (in French)
  9. MOURAD AMARI, HICHEM AZAFZAF (2001). Tunisia in Important Bird Areas in Africa and Associated Islands: Priority Sites for Conservation, Fishpool, L. D. C. and Evans, M. I., eds (PDF). Cambridge: Pisces Publications, Birdlife International. p. 958.
  10. Médail F., Véla E (January 2020). "NOTE NATURALISTE Flore et végétation vasculaires de l'archipel de Zembra (Tunisie nord-orientale)". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. "Archipel de Zembra". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.

37°08′10″N 10°48′32″E

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