The Galite Islands ( Tunisian Arabic : جالطة Jalita , French : La Galite , Italian : La Galita ) are a rocky group of islands of volcanic origin that belong to Bizerte Governorate , northern Tunisia . They are located 38 kilometres (24 miles) northwest of Cape Serrat , the closest point of the Tunisian mainland coast, from which they are separated by the Galite Channel, and almost 80 km (50 mi) north-by-northeast of the city of Tabarka , and 150 km (93 mi) south of Cape Spartivento in the south of Sardinia . The islands of the group sit atop Banc de Galite .
7-596: The Sorelle Rocks (also called the Sorelle Reef and the Sorelli Rocks ) are two submerged rocks approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of the Galite Islands of Tunisia , at approximately 37°24′N 8°36′E / 37.400°N 8.600°E / 37.400; 8.600 . In form they are two submerged plateaux extending from the north-west to the south-east about 169 feet (52 m) apart and separated by
14-473: A racon , is moored to the western patch, and another buoy to the eastern patch. A two meters high concrete block stands on the western patch. 13 km (8 mi) to the north of the group is the submerged Banc des Mazzarilles, with depths between 21 and 49 meters. During World War II , La Galite hosted a small Italian naval base. Salvatore Todaro , an Italian war hero, died on La Galite on December 14, 1942. Tunisian independence leader Habib Bourguiba
21-470: A channel of 39–49 feet (12–15 m) depth. The north-west rock is approximately 66 feet (20 m) in diameter, and 16 feet (4.9 m) under water, while the south-east rock is 197 feet (60 m) in diameter and lies only 4 feet (1.2 m) under water. HMS Avenger ran aground on the Sorelle Rocks in 1847 with great loss of life. This article about a specific oceanic location or ocean current
28-559: A distance between 1 and 2 km (1 mi) northeast of the main island. This group consists of three rocks, which are, from north to south, Gallo, Pollastro and Gallina (meaning "rooster", "chicken" and "hen" in Italian). Gallo is the largest of the three and is 119 m high. About 25 km (16 mi) to the southwest are the Sorelle Rocks , or Écueil des Sorelles, which consist of two shallow rocky patches. A lighted buoy, fitted with
35-404: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Galite Islands The centrally situated main island La Galite is 5.4 km (3.4 mi) long east-west, and up to 2.9 km (1.8 mi) wide in the east. The area of the group is 9 square kilometres (3 sq mi), most of which La Galite accounts for. The main island has 200m high cliffs and is accessible only in the south on
42-472: The bay Escueil de Pasque. A few fishing families live on the island. The highest peak at 391m is Bout de Somme (Grand Sommet), which is topped by a yellow lookout tower. Piton de l'Es', a prominent cone-shaped peak close to the most southeasterly point of the island, is 360m high. Besides the main island La Galite, there are two groups of islets or rocks, which are all inaccessible. The Galitons de l'Ouest, or West Galitons, are 3 km (2 mi) southwest of
49-635: The main island. They consist of the second largest and third largest islands of the Galite Islands, 158m high Le Galiton (area 0.4 km ) and 137m high La Fauchelle, immediately southeast of Le Galiton. On the peak of Le Galiton is a lighthouse, 14m high. In 1980, the Ministry of Agriculture declared Le Galiton a natural reserve, to protect the Mediterranean monk seals . The smaller Galitons de l'Est, or East Galitons, also called Les Chiens or The Dogs, are at
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