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The Mascarene Islands are a group of islands located east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. They include Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues, and are significant as important centers of biodiversity, trade, and human settlement in the region.
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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.
Geography