ST. MARTIN ISLAND / NARIKEL JINJIRA

St. Martin Island / Narikel Jinjira

TEKNAF : COX'S BAZAR

St. Martin island

Saint Martin

St. Martin island

St. Martin’s Island has become one of the most familiar tourist spot in Bangladesh, Its situated in the most south-east tip of Bangladesh. Every year thousands of tourists visit Saint Martin island, because of its panoramic landscapes, clear sea water, and for its corals colonies.
Due to its suitable environment, St. Martin is the only spot in Bangladesh where coral colonies are found. Island interconnected cluster of three islands, the the main land of which is often called by its local name of “Narikel Jinjira”. “Narikel Jinjira” means Island of Coconut.

St. Martin island

Narikel Jinjira

Saint Martin island or St. Martin island

Location of St. Martin island

Saint Martin’s Island is Situated in the northeast of the Bay of Bengal, about Nine kilometer south of the Cox’s Bazar Teknaf peninsular tip. Being the south-eastern most point of Bangladesh, the Island lies between latitude 20°34´ and 20°39´N, and longitude 92°18´ and 92°21´E.
 
The area of the St. Martin Island itself is about 5.9 (kilometer)2 and with the rocky land extending into the sea the total area of the St. Martin is about Twelve kilometer2. There are 5 separate physiographic areas within the Island.

St. Martin island

St. Martin island

St. Martin island

Structure 
(a) Uttar Para: It is the northern side of St. Martin island with a max. (north-south) of 2,134 m long and a max. width (east-west) of 1,402 m.
(b) Golachipa: It is a narrow place of land joint Uttar Para and Madhya Para.
(c) Madhya Para: directly south of Golachipa is 1,524m long and 518m wide at its max.
(d) Dakhin Para: It is the southern side of St. Martin and its length is 1,929 m , with an additional narrow tail of 1,890 m towards the southeast, and at its max. wide is 975 m.

St. Martin island

St. Martin island : Beach

(e) Cheradia: It is the southernmost tip of St. Martin island and extending south south-east from Dakhin Para is a rocky reef that is about 1.8 kilometer long and between 50-300 miter wide. It is separated from Dakhin Para during high tide, and located on this inter-tidal reef are three small vegetated islands known as
Cheradia, of which the middle one is the largest.

St. Martin island

There is a skin-deep lagoon in the center of Uttar-para and it is jointed to the sea during high tide by a confined channel on the western shore. The soil of Uttar-para consists of alluvial sands mixed with shells of molluscs. There are 2 little dead lagoons and a stretch of marshy land in Dakshin-para. Fish landing sites, bazars and schools are situated in Uttar-para.

St. Martin island

St. Martin island

St. Martin island : Unripe fruit of screw pine

Transport And Island information
Launches and country boats run between the St. Martin island and Teknaf daily. In this island the population is about 3,700. Most of them are fishermen. 4 species are amphibians, 28 reptiles, 130 birds and 20 mammals total 182 species of wildlife are recorded from St. Martin island. Mainly four month November to February are suitable time for traveling this places. The most populated part is Jinjira of this island. There is famine of drinking water on the island. Only a few ponds and a few number of tubewell's supply fresh water for drinking as well as for plowing. Though the St. Martin island falls in the monsoon zone, the climate is much affected by the sea. The main tree is coconut, betel nut and bamboo tree . The soil of the St. Martin island is not so fertile. The main agricultural commodity are onion, melon and paddy.

St. Martin island

St. Martin island

St. Martin island

Geological structure of St. Martin island

The geological structure of the island is simple and is represented by an anticlinal uplift. A little of the axis of the anticline is traceable along the west shore of Dakshin-para. There is a fault along the north-west coastline with a turn nearly parallel to the axis. This island's limestone is made of molluscan (Shelly limestone) and coralline limestone. The molluscan limestone provides an excellent aquifer wherever they create under the alluvium.

St. Martin island

St. Martin island

St. Martin island : coral

Coral colonies

Several living small coral colonies are found very near the low tide level around the St. Martin island. They also observe in the nearby skin-deep sea. The dead coral colonies also observe in pool-like subsidence within the high and low tide levels. Some of them are situated at an hillock of nearly 3.50 miter above the low tide level. 
The clearest hint of the Holocene upliftment of the St. Martin is the feature of an emerged 3.0 meter limestone cliff on the coast of Dakhin-para ranging in age from 450 years at the base to 292 years at the top (C¹⁴ dating). The mean uplifting rate of the island, calculated from the above data, is 19.0 mm/year.

St. Martin island

St. Martin island

St. Martin island : Corals

Whatever you found many kinds of beautiful fishes, birds, fishing scenery. You can view from here both sunrise  and sunset. I think this is the most beautiful island and place of Bangladesh. There many thing to watch. So you invite to the St. Martin island.
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St. Martin island

St. Martin island: Limestone

St. Martin island