Saint Brandon, also known as the Cargados Carajos Shoals, is an Indian Ocean archipelago about northeast of Mauritius consisting of sand banks, shoals and islets. It consists of five island groups, with about 28-40 islands and islets in total, depending on seasonal storms and related sand movements. The archipelago is low-lying and is prone to substantial submersion in severe weather by tropical cyclones in the Mascarene Islands. It has an aggregate land area estimated variously at and . The islands have a small population of mostly fishermen, numbering 63 people in 2001. The bulk of this population, approximately 40 people, live on Île Raphael, with smaller settlements existing on Avocaré Island, L'Île Coco, and L'île du Sud. In the early 19th century, most of the islands were used as fishing stations. Today, only one company operates on the archipelago with three fishing stations and accommodation for sport fishermen on L'île du Sud and Île Raphael. A settlement on Albatross Island was abandoned in 1988. The islands are currently the subject of a legal dispute over territorial sovereignty between the government of Mauritius and Raphael Fishing Company, the current leaseholders of the islands. Etymology The name Saint Brandon most likely came from the anglicized name of the French town of Saint-Brandan, possibly given by French sailors and corsairs that sailed to and from Britanny. Geography Geographically, the archipelago is part of the Mascarene Islands and is situated on the Mascarene Plateau formed by the separation of the Mauritia microcontinent during the separation of India and Madagascar around 60 million years ago from what is today the African continent. The reef measures more than from north to south and is wide, cut by three passes. The reef area is . The total number of islands on the reef varies but usually number around 40. Siren Island, L'île du Sud, Pearl Island, and Frigate Island are west of the reef, while North Island is about northeast of the northern tip of the reef. Albatross Island, about north, is geographically a separate single coral island. Albatross Island is the highest point at above sea level and the largest of the islands in the group, with an area of , followed by Raphaël, Tortue, Avocaré Island, L'Île Coco and L'île du Sud. Temperatures range from , with rainfall of a year, most falling in January to April. The climate is dominated by the south-east trades.