ALDABRA ISLANDS 3 DOLLARS 2017 FANTASY NOTE,GIANT TORTOISE,TROPICAL BIRDS,CORACIAS CAUDATUS

The Aldabra Islands were formerly under the hegemony of the Seychelles,to which they were returned in June 1976,when that country gained its independence.They constitute an oval atoll (19 miles [30.5 km] long and 8 miles [13 km] wide) enclosing a large but shallow lagoon.The Royal Society bought the lease of the atoll in 1970 and their research station became functional from 1970. After completion of their assigned work,the Royal Society left and the Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF),a public trust of Seychelles,assumed management and protection of the atoll in 1979.