The island was discovered in 1770 by European sailors. D'Arros Island bears the name of the Baron d'Arros, Marine Commandant at Mauritius, then Île de France, from 1770 to 1771. ;Private island In 1975, The island became the property of prince Shahram Pahlavi Nia of Iran. in 1998 it was bought by French billionaire Liliane Bettencourt for US$18 million. ;Nature preserve In August 2012 it was revealed that the island had once more been sold, for US$60 million, to be managed by the Save Our Seas Foundation. In 2014, it was officially designated a nature reserve.
Geography
D'Arros Island is located only west of the northern part of St. Joseph Atoll, but it is a separate geographical unit, separated by deep water of a wide channel, which is deeper than much of the Amirantes Bank. The land area of the island occupies. D'Arros Island is an oval-shaped, flat coral sand cay, oriented northeast–southwest, long and wide, and nowhere higher than.
Coral reefs
The island stands on a detached patch coral reef similarly orientated, with maximum dimensions of and. A shallow sand spit extends northeast from it. The island stands on the northern sector of the reef atoll. There are drying reef flats wide on its south side, but only a narrow fringing reef about wide on its north side.
Administration
The island belongs toOuter Islands District. Being an island with a small population, there are not any government buildings or services. For many services, people have to go toVictoria, which is a difficult task.
Demographics
The island has a population of 42. There are several buildings on the island, with one large house used by guests, who rented the island, and a number of smaller, permanently occupied houses for the staff. A small area of the island is cultivated for personal consumption of the residents. The small village is on the north coast.ref>
Flora & Fauna
Much of the island area is covered by vegetation. The tree tops reach heights of. The vegetation is dominated by the nativecoconut palm, and introduced horsetail beefwood trees. In 1965, five Seychelles fody birds from Cousin Island were introduced to D'Arros and they have since increased to a population of a few hundred.
Transport
A unpaved airstrip bisects the island in the southwest. The island is occasionally serviced by an Island Development Company aircraft from Mahé, or flights diverted from nearby Desroches.
Economics
The inhabitants on the island are engaged in very small scale farming and fishing which are mainly for the island consumption.
