evidence: Bassas da India [key], uninhabited atoll, 0.1 sq mi (0.2 sq km), in the S Mozambique Channel, W Indian Ocean, about midway between Madagascar and Mozambique, part of the Scattered Islands district in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. The atoll's rocky islets, which emerge from a circular reef, sometimes present a maritime hazard since they are normally under water at high tide and are protected by bristling reefs. A French possession since 1897, the Bassas da India group has been administered by a commissioner in Réunion since 1968. The group is also claimed by Madagascar.