Îles Chesterfield
- ISS006-E-7746
- 12 December 2002
- 22:26 UTC
Situated in the eastern Coral Sea some 550 km west of the northern tip of Grande Terre, New Caledonia, the Chesterfield Group consists of several groups of islets and reefs scattered around the Chesterfield and Bellona Plateaux. Included in the group are the Îles Chesterfield (Chesterfield Islands/Isles/Reefs, Rêcifs et Îles Chesterfield) and the Bampton Reefs. The Bellona Reefs, 60 km to the south, are a separate formation but are usually included within the Chesterfield Group.
The Îles Chesterfield are the most well known group, forming a loose collection of elongated reefs that enclose a deep, semi-sheltered, lagoon. The reefs on the west and northwest are known as the Chesterfield Reefs; with those on the east and north being the Bampton Reefs. The Chesterfield Reefs form a structure measuring 120 km in length (northeast to southwest) and 70 km accross (east to west).
There are numerous cays occurring amongst the reefs of both the Chesterfield and Bampton Reefs, these include: Loop Islet, Caye Renard, Skeleton Cay, Bennett Island, Passage Islet, Ile Longue (Long Island), Ilot de Sable, the Avon Isles, the Anchorage Islets, Les 3 Îlots du Mouillage and Bampton Island.
