Mauritius, the shape of an island
Barely longer than it is wide, Mauritius measures 65 km from north to south and 48 km from west to east, with a surface area of 1,865 km2. The total surface area of the Republic of Mauritius, including Rodrigues Island, the Agaléga archipelago and the Saint-Brandon archipelago in addition to the mother island, is 2,040 km2, making it one of the smallest territories in the world. Surrounded by a coral reef and turquoise lagoons, the island boasts 330 km of coastline, including over 100 km of beaches. The coastline features deep bays and long stretches of fine white sand. Further inland, the relief becomes more pronounced. The great central plateau, which rises to an altitude of around 500 m, features a number of remarkable ridges, some with unusual shapes. The ridges of the Chicots mountains stretch along this plateau, cutting into the lower sky above the sugarcane fields. None of them reaches 1,000 m, the highest "mountains" being Piton de la Rivière Noire (828 m), Mont Pieter Both (823 m) and Pouce (812 m). The island's three main mountain ranges are the Moka chain around Port Louis, the Rivière Noire chain to the south-west, and the Bambous mountain range above Vieux Grand Port (south-east). Apart from these few eminences covered in tropical vegetation, most of the country is uniformly flat and planted with sugarcane crops, particularly in the north and east.
A volcanic island
The birth of Mauritius dates back some 10 million years, when underwater volcanic activity caused an immense caldera, or volcanic crater, to emerge from the waves. Several eruptions and numerous lava flows sculpted the island's peaks and filled in the central crater. The last volcanic eruptions took place 25,000 years ago. Numerous traces of this ultimate firework display are still visible on the island, including Trou aux Cerfs in Curepipe, Trou-Kanaka in Bois Chéri and Grand Bassin. Only the latter crater is filled with water, forming a lake that is sacred to the Hindu community.
Rodrigues
Compared to its "neighbors" Reunion and Mauritius, Rodrigues is the smallest of the Mascarene Islands. Located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, some 620 km northeast of Mauritius, it covers an area of 105.78 km², 18.3 km long and 6.5 km wide. Bordered by an immense shallow lagoon two-and-a-half times the size of the island, the elliptical island is crossed from east to west by a mountain range culminating at 393 m (Mont Limon). On either side of the central ridge, the island is divided into some sixty small, fairly steep valleys (especially in the center), with impressive cliffs in places, up to 130 m high, sloping gently down to the sea. The coves extending from the valleys create a highly indented coastline, over 80 km long, with numerous detours. Landing at Sir Gaëtan Duval airport in the south-west, the effect is striking: Rodrigues looks like a land of Ardèche on a turquoise lagoon! As you move around the island, the landscapes change rapidly: dense forests and waterfalls in the hills; terraced fields on the slopes of the valleys; deserted beaches, coves, rocks and cliffs on the coast.
Saint-Brandon, the preserved pearl of Mauritius
Saint Brandon, also referred to on maps as the Cargados Carajos reefs, is a string of virtually untouched islets accessible only by boat. Virtually untouched and still difficult to access (a minimum of 24 hours from Mauritius, i.e. 2 full days' sailing there and back on a sea that's not always easy), the archipelago, located some 415 km north-north-east of Mauritius, is inhabited by just a few fishermen and a handful of native Creoles settled in the northern part on the islet of Raphael. Surrounded by a crystal-clear lagoon crossed by three major passes, Saint Brandon stretches some 50 km from north to south and 5 km from west to east. Of volcanic origin, it is made up of some fifty islets, coral reefs and large sandbanks. This unspoilt habitat is home to exceptional flora and fauna: magnificent shellfish, thousands of birds, lobsters galore, myriads of colorful fish, turtles, rays, sharks... Unlike Mauritius and Rodrigues, whose lagoons have suffered greatly from fishing and tourism, Saint Brandon's waters are ultra-fishy and regularly attract scientific expeditions to identify new endemic species. Although the island has only recently opened up to a confidential and very exclusive tourist trade, the aim is to preserve the archipelago in its original state and turn it into a protected natural sanctuary: a wild, untouched paradise where you can live in total osmosis with nature, far from the clocks and the hustle and bustle of the world.
Agalega, on the edge of the world
More than 2 days' sailing from Mauritius and over 1,100 km from the capital, the Agaléga archipelago consists of two islets linked by a sandy isthmus. Its coral lands are covered with coconut palms and mangroves, and are home to 300 inhabitants, most of them descendants of slaves deported by France. Geographically, this micro-archipelago in the heart of the Indian Ocean is also a major strategic challenge for India and China, who would like to assert their power in the region by setting up a military base there. The Mauritian government has promised to make Agaléga a mecca for ecotourism.
Mauritia, the sunken continent
The Earth wasn't always as we know it today. Entire continents formed before disappearing. And one of these continents, discovered very recently, was... under Mauritius! In short, geologists have identified zircon crystals on a beach on the island that date back some 2 billion years, even though Mauritius was born barely 10 million years ago. The researchers believe that this zircon is the remnant of a micro-continent, called Mauritia, located between India and Madagascar. So Mauritius has a whole continent to its name!
