Daily Almanac for
Jul 26, 2008
Info search tips
Bio search tips

Encyclopedia

Mascarene Islands

Mascarene Islands (măskurēn') [key], in the Indian Ocean, E of Madagascar. They include Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodriguez. Apparently known to the Arabs, they were rediscovered by the Portuguese at the beginning of the 16th cent. The islands are named for Pedro Mascarenhas, who visited them c.1512.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark

More on Mascarene Islands from Infoplease:

  • Mauritius - Mauritius Mauritius , officially Republic of Mauritius, republic (2005 est. pop. 1,231,000), 790 sq ...
  • Réunion - Réunion Réunion , island and overseas department of France (2005 est. pop. 777,000), ...
  • Rodriguez - Rodriguez Rodriguez or Rodrigues, island (1996 est. pop. 34,883), 42 sq mi (109 sq km), in the ...
  • dodo, extinct bird - dodo dodo, a flightless forest-dwelling bird of Mauritius, extinct since the late 17th cent. The ...
  • Encyclopedia: Mauritius and Réunion Political Geography - Encyclopeadia articles concerning Mauritius and Réunion Political Geography.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Mauritius and Réunion Political Geography