Cu Lao Cham VN (Repost)
Cu Lao Cham VN
The main island, along with it's smaller neighbors, is situated to the south of Da Nang VN. The islands are covered with thick forests. The small population makes their living from the sea.
The name of the main island carries the moniker of the Cham people that once claimed this mainland area as part of their empire. This empire existed up until the 1400's, when it was finally overrun by the Sinicized Vietnamese. Originally, the Cham people of the kingdom of Champa were highly influenced by "Mother India". They were a Hindu people that in the later years slowly converted to the Muslim faith. About 1,000,000 of the Cham people live scattered throughout Vietnam, Cambodia and Hainan Island.
During a search on the Internet for sites about Cu Lao Cham I came across a site entitled SOG Paradise Island. It is sponsered by an individual that served on the island between December 1966 to December 1967. That was the same time I served. I was stationed in Da Nang, just to the north. I never heard of this group or their mission, even though I carried a Top Secret Clearance. I had no need to know, so I didn't know. Some bad stuff apparently took place on this island involving prisoners and interegation. I am please that this island is now a tourist attraction and part of a recently established Marine and Nature Reserve. This is a much better use of these islands than some military purpose.
This is a repost and a reconstruction of the original shoreline. I have also added the vegetation layer for all of the islands in the group. The digitizing was fast and simple. I work at 1:12,500 when I digitize from the Landsat base imagery. If necessary, I work on certain areas at 1:6,250. The area identified as EVS Land Bare is most likely a rocky shore. The western shore of Cu Lao Cham appears to have sand beaches. They are identified as EVS Land Sand.
Enjoy!
Labels: EVS, island, Landsat, map, Marplot, Pacific, Vietnam
