- Churna Island
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Charna Island (Also written as Churna ) (Urdu: جزیرہ چرنا) is a small island located in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is situated 3.855 nautical miles northwest of a fishing settlement Mubarak Village.
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Mubarak Village (Mubarak Goth), is located some 60 km from Karachi on Hawks Bay-Mubarak Goth Road. One can see scattered straw huts along and around this road. Many NGOs are working to provide electricity and basic health facilities to the people living in this area. Most of the people living in Mubarak Village are poor and they earn their livelihood through fishing. Small, diesel-engine boats are available for anglers to quench their thirst for sport fishing on fairly low rents.
Churna Island is a 4 x 3 square kilometer barren island with no civilian population. Most commonly seen fauna on the island is poisonous sea snake. Churna Island which looks picturesque amid blue waters is mostly used as a firing range by Pakistan Navy.
It is famous for the marine life around it, which includes barracuda, Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel, cobia, Dorado, Tuna, angel fish, sea urchin, sea fan, oyster, ray fish and rare green turtle. Pakistan Game Fishing Association (PGFA) holds national angling competitions near this island. It is the presence of coral reefs around this island that attracts the number of big game fish around it. However, illegal net sizes used by fishing trawlers are destroying this natural treasure.
Area surrounding this island is popular for scuba diving because of the presence of widely varied marine life and different kinds of coral reef. Some claim that there are more than 60 types of corals found near Charna waters and many new corals started to flourish after the 2005 tsunami in Indian Ocean[1]. IndusScuba, a PADI certified organization, brings local enthusiasts while foreigners are also often seen clad in diving suits in the nearby Mubarak Village.
See also
References
Categories:- Islands of Karachi
- Uninhabited islands of Pakistan
- Sindh geography stubs
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