Petite Terre Islands
16°10′15″N 61°6′55″W / 16.17083°N 61.11528°W
| Location | Petite Terre Islands, La Désirade, Guadeloupe, France |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 16°10′15″N 61°06′33″W / 16.1707°N 61.1092°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1840 |
| Construction | brick (tower) |
| Automated | 1974 |
| Height | 33 m (108 ft) |
| Shape | Cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern atop a 1-storey keeper’s house |
| Markings | unpainted (tower), green (lantern) |
| Power source | solar power |
| Heritage | monument historique inscrit |
| Light | |
| Focal height | 26 m (85 ft) |
| Range | 15 nmi (28 km; 17 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl(3) W 12s |
Petite Terre Islands (French: Îles de la Petite-Terre [il də la pətit tɛʁ], literally "Islands of the Small Land") are two small uninhabited islands located about 10 km (6 mi) to the south-east of the island of Grande-Terre (Guadeloupe), in the Lesser Antilles. They are named Petite Terre ("Small Land") in contrast with the much larger Grande-Terre ("Large Land").
The two islands are Terre de Bas island to the southwest and the smaller Terre de Haut island to the northeast. Their combined land area is 1.68 km2 (168 hectares). Terre de Bas island (literally "Low Land" or "Down Land") is so named because it is downwind compared to Terre de Haut island ("Upper Land" island) to its northeast, which first meets the trade winds blowing from the north-east in the Caribbean.
Administratively, the Petite Terre Islands are dependent on the commune (municipality) of La Désirade. The two islands and 842 hectares (2,081 acres) of the sea around them were declared a nature reserve, the National Nature Reserve of Îles de la Petite-Terree.