Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Montebello Islands
islands, Western Australia, Australia
Montebello Islands, Australian coral islands in the Indian Ocean off the northwest coast of Western Australia, 60 mi (100 km) west of the Dampier Archipelago. The largest of the uninhabited group are North West, Trimouille, South East, and Hermite. Comparatively flat and sandy, they are indented by coves lined with mangroves. In 1622 the English ship “Tryal” was wrecked on one of the reefs. Nicolas Baudin charted their waters (1801–02) and named them in honour of the French duke of Montebello (Jean Lannes). They were used for the 1952 and 1956 British atomic explosions, and Japanese and Australian fishermen were barred from the area because of radiation.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Richard Pallardy.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.