Îles des Madeleines

The Iles des Madeleines lie west of Dakar in Senegal. The islands are uninhabited. The main island is Sarpan, known for its Stone Age tool finds. The islands are also known for their birds, fish and plant life.The cliffs are steep, and had been carved by the sea over millions of years

Le Parc National des Iles de la Madeleine is the smallest national park in the world, and a UNESCO world heritage site. Because of its apparent barrenness and the past inability to cultivate the land of the island, local lore dictates that evil spirits inhabit it which prevent its being populated.

Sarpan, the largest of the islands, is also home to an extremely rare subspecies of Phaeton, a marine bird found only on les Iles de la Madeleine and the Galapagos Islands.