An eighty-mile beach, pristine reefs, and Australia’s oil field I. Map boundaries: 10 to 20 degrees South; 112 to 120 degrees East II. Countries (Provinces): Australia (Western Australia), Indonesia (East Nusa Tenggara [Southeast Islands]). III. Overview The Indian Ocean that dominates this map area marks the transition between the equatorial forests to the north and … More Rowley Shoals

Giant clams and an underground river I. Map boundaries: 10 to 20 degrees North; 112 to 120 degrees East II. Countries: Paracel Islands and Macclesfield Bank (occupied by China), Philippines (Palawan, Pangasinan, and Zambales), and Spratley Islands (China, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam occupy islands in this map area). III. Overview In the Lingayan Gulf off … More Hundred Islands, Macclesfield, and Palawan

Map of the Month: Rodriques, Cargados Carajos, and Agalega Map boundaries: 10 to 20 degrees South; 56 to 64 degrees East Country: Mauritius Overview The southern part of the Mascarene Plateau, the largest submerged bank in the world, is covered with seagrass and interspersed with coral reefs. The plateau extends from north to south roughly … More Rodrigues

Map of the Month: Leeward and Windward Islands Map boundaries: 10 to 20 degrees North; 56 to 64 degrees West Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, France (Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin), Grenada, Netherlands (Saba, Sint Maartin, Sint Eustatius), St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United … More Leeward and Windward Islands

Map of the Month: Chiquitano and Pantanal Map boundaries: 10 to 20 degrees South; 56 to 64 degrees West Countries: Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay Overview This map area covers the transition between the moist Amazonian forests and the drier Chaco area, a tropical dry forest. To the northwest and north, the Amazon rain forests reach … More Chiquitano and Pantanal

Map of the Month: Jiddat al Harasis; Kuria Muria Islands Map boundaries: 10 to 20 degrees North; 56 to 64 degrees East Country: Oman (Al Wusta and Dhofar regions) Overview The majority of this map area encompasses the tropical waters of the Arabian Sea. In the south part of the map is the triple junction … More Jiddat al-Harasis and Kuria Muria Islands

Following the Turks and Caicos, the next map in this tour of subtropical areas would be between 20 and 30 degrees South and 63 and 72 degrees East. There is no land or shallow marine area within these coordinates. The sea floor at this location is where the Somali Plate, Capricorn Plate, and Antarctic Plate … More Rodrigues Triple Point