Cousteau's island

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Francine Cousteau, President of Equipe Cousteau and the Cousteau Society is honored to announce that the President of Mexico officially re-named an island in the Sea of Cortez as "Jacques Cousteau Island" on Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

Just off the city of La Paz in the southeastern region of the Baja California peninsula, the island has a surface area of 136 km and a perimeter of 68 km. Formerly known as Cerralvo, the island is henceforth listed in Mexico's national register of geographic information as "Jacques Cousteau Island."

The decisions involved in naming the island include preliminary work for a vast Franco-Mexican program of environmental education and scientific research involving highly prestigious French and Mexican scientific institutions.

"Imagine my pride and emotion, and that of our teams, at the decision of His Excellency Felipe Caldern, President of the United Mexican States, to name an island in the Sea of Cortez for Jacques Cousteau. At the dawn of the 100th anniversary of his birth, Captain Cousteau finds here an anchorage and the recognition of an entire people for his work in the service of others. What magnificent encouragement for the difficult missions that await us," stated Francine Cousteau at a ceremony attended by the ambassador of France to Mexico, representatives of the Mexican government and the country's principal scientific and industrial institutions. "The island is a natural monument and an anchorage for our missions in Mexico," she added.
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