Mascarene Islands

The Mascarene Islands (English: /mæskəˈriːn/; French: Mascareignes [maskaʁɛɲ] ^ⓘ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Their name derives from the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas, who first visited them in April 1512. The islands share a common geological origin beneath the Mascarene Plateau known as the Mauritia microcontinent which was a Precambrian microcontinent situated between India and Madagascar until their separation about 70 million years ago. They form a distinct ecoregion with unique biodiversity and endemism of flora and fauna.

The archipelago comprises three large islands, Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues, plus a number of volcanic remnants in the tropics of the southwestern Indian Ocean, generally between 700 and 1,500 kilometres east of Madagascar. The terrain includes a variety of reefs, atolls, and small islands. They present various topographical and edaphic regions. On the largest islands these gave rise to endemism and unusual biodiversity. The climate is oceanic and tropical.

Mauritius is located 900 km east of Madagascar. It has an area of 1,865 km². The highest point is 828 meters above sea level. Mauritius is the most populous of the Mascarene Islands, with a population of 1,252,964.

Réunion is located 150 km southwest of Mauritius. It is the largest of the islands, with an area of 2,512 km². Piton des Neiges (3,069 m), an extinct volcano, is the highest peak on Réunion and in the islands. Piton de la Fournaise is an active volcano on Réunion which erupts frequently.

Rodrigues is located 574 km east of Mauritius. It has an area of 108 km², and reaches 393 meters elevation.

St. Brandon, also known as the Cargados Carajos shoals, is a coral atoll group consisting of a barrier reef, shoals, and low islets. It is the remnant of one -or more- large volcanic islands sitting on the Mauritia (microcontinent) which were submerged by rising tides. Today, the thirty or so islands that comprise St Brandon form part of the Republic of Mauritius. Around seventeen of the uninhabited islands are administered by the 'Outer Islands Development Corporation' of Mauritius (an entity run by the Prime Minister of Mauritius through the Prime Minister's Office) whilst the remaining Thirteen Islands of St. Brandon are managed by the Raphael Fishing Company from three permanently inhabited island bases of Ile Raphael, L'île du Sud (South Island, l'île Boisées) and L'Île Coco. The Raphael Fishing Company was granted these Thirteen Islands of St. Brandon under a 1901 Permanent Lease (999-year lease) which were adjudged as a Permanent Grant by determination of the Privy Council (United Kingdom) in 2008. These Thirteen islands of St. Brandon on Permanent Grant are L'île du Sud (South Island, l'île Boisée), Petit Fou, l'Avocaire, l'île aux Fous, L'île du Gouvernement, Petit Mapou, Grand Mapou, La Baleine, L'Île Coco, Île Raphael, Verronge, l'île aux Bois and Baleines Rocks.

There are several submerged banks or shoals:

The islands are volcanic in origin; Saya de Malha (35 mya) was the first of the Mascarene islands to rise out of the Indian Ocean due to the Réunion hotspot, followed by Nazareth Bank (approximately 2 mya later), Soudan Bank and Cargados Carajos. The youngest islands to form were Mauritius (7–10 mya), the oldest of the existing islands, created along with the undersea Rodrigues ridge. The islands of Rodrigues and Réunion were created in the last two million years. Réunion is the largest of the islands (2,500 km²), followed by Mauritius (1,900 km²) and Rodrigues (110 km²). Eventually, Saya de Malha, Nazareth and Soudan were completely submerged, Cargados Carajos remaining as a coral atoll. The Réunion hotspot was beginning to cool and Rodrigues came out as a small island.