In news– Recently, Ukraine caused “significant losses’ ‘ to the Russian military in airstrikes on Zmiinyi Island, also known as Snake Island, in the Black Sea.
About Snake Island-
- It is a small piece of rock less than 700 metres from end to end, that has been described as being “X-shaped”.
- It is located 35 km from the coast in the Black Sea, to the east of the mouth of the Danube and roughly southwest of the port city of Odessa.
- The island, which has been known since ancient times and is marked on the map by the tiny village of Bile that is located on it, belongs to Ukraine.
- The island has been known since classical antiquity, and during that era hosted a Greek temple to Achilles.
- The island does not have a prominently featured mountain, but rather a low-slope hill.
- The bedrock of the island consists of Silurian and Devonian sedimentary rocks, primarily metamorphosed, highly cemented quartzite conglomerate-breccias.
Note:
- Ilha da Queimada Grande, also known as Snake Island, is an island off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean.
- It is administered as part of the municipality of Itanhaém in the State of São Paulo.
- The island is small in size, only 43 hectares, and has a temperate climate.
- The island is the only natural home of the critically endangered, venomous Bothrops insularis (golden lancehead pit viper), which has a diet of birds.
- The snakes became trapped on the island thousands of years ago following the end of the last ice age when rising ocean levels disconnected the island from the mainland.
Source: The Indian Express
