St. Martin (Island) is the only coral island in Bangladesh a small island St. Martin is in the northeast part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula.
It is about 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar at the mouth of the Naf River. Also called (The local name) "Narical Gingira", also spelled "Narikel Janjina/Jinjera" and has an extension named Chera Dwip.
St. Martin's Island is very popular tourist spot. Now, 3 (three) shipping liners run Everyday trips to the island, including Sea-Truck and Keary-Sindbad. If you want to visit this land you can book your trip either from Chittagong or from Cox's Bazar.
Last 5 years St. Martin's visitor population has increased dramatically. While this situation has proven to be lucrative for the islanders, it is causing the natural beauty of the island to deteriorate. Presently there are many efforts being put forth to preserve the several endagered species of turtles that nest on the island, as well as the corals, some of which are found only on Narikel Jinjera. Pieces of the coral reef are being removed in order to be sold to tourists.[1] Nesting turtles are sometimes taken for food, and their hatchlings are often distracted by the twinkling lights along the beach. Species of fish, a few just recently discovered, are being overfished. Every year the fishermen must venture further out to sea to get their catch. Most of them use motorless boats.
At high tide the island is about 3 miles around, and pinched in the middle. The island exists only because of its coral base, so removal of that coral risks erosion of the beaches. St. Martins has lost roughly 25% of its coral reef in the past 7 years. |
