The Mascarene Islands or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of the islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of La Réunion. Their name derives from the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas, who first visited them in April 1512. The islands share a common geologic origin in the volcanism of the Réunion hotspot beneath the Mascarene Plateau and form a distinct ecoregion with a unique flora and fauna.
Piton de la Fournaise
Pedro Mascarenhas, namesake of the Mascarene Islands, was Viceroy of Portuguese India.
Foetidia mauritiana
Phyllanthus tenellus (Mascarenes leaf-flower)
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about 2,000 kilometres off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island, as well as Rodrigues, Agaléga, and St. Brandon. The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, along with nearby Réunion, are part of the Mascarene Islands. The main island of Mauritius, where the population is concentrated, hosts the capital and largest city, Port Louis. The country spans 2,040 square kilometres (790 sq mi) and has an exclusive economic zone covering 2,300,000 square kilometres.
Pedro Mascarenhas, Viceroy of Portuguese India and namesake of the Mascarene Islands.
Dutch activities on Mauritius, as well as the first published depiction of a dodo bird (2), 1601
The Battle of Grand Port between French and British naval forces, 20–27 August 1810
British forces seizing the Isle of France on 2 December 1810
