Mascarene Islands

The Mascarene Islands are a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar comprising Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues along with additional volcanic remnants, named for the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas, who first visited them in April 1512. The archipelago forms a distinct ecoregion with high biodiversity and endemism, and today holds about 2.2 million people across territory administered by Mauritius and France. The islands were built by the Reunion hotspot: Saya de Malha rose first about 35 million years ago, Mauritius formed 7 to 10 million years ago, and Rodrigues rose within the last two million years.