Rodrigues Island Mauritius
Rodrigues Island is situated around 650 km east of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. This island is ordained to the wild environment lovers. Rodrigues island is been considered as the Cinderella of Mascarenes since it enchants the tourists with its authenticity and charm. The unconditional simplicity and calm of its inhabitants present the island with an inimitable atmosphere where troubles and worries are quickly forgotten. The name Rodrigues was given to this island as a tribute to the explorer from Portuguese Diogo Rodrigues.
The island is spread over 109 km of land and is completely surrounded by coral reefs. Port Mathurin is the capital city of the island while the main language spoken is Rodriguan Creole. Besides the main language the people of the island do speak English and French. Most of the people in the island are Roman Catholics; however there are few other religions in the island as well. According to the census taken in the year 2006, the population of the island comprise to 40.000.
Arabs were the first to invade this island of Rodrigues which was initially the part of Mascarene Islands. One of the Arab geographers named Ash-Sharif-al-Idris marked clearly these three Mascarene Islands in his map. Dina Margabin (Reunion), Dina Arobi (Mauritius) and Dina Moraze (Rodrigues) are three islands mentioned in the 12th century map. In the year1601, Dutch sailors visited this island for the fresh provisions of food. In the year1691, Francois Leguat, Huguenot and seven other companions visited this island. French visited the island during the 18th century in order to bring out certain developments in the island. In order to develop farming and stockbreeding several African slaves were deported into this island.
In the year 1809 there was a battle between the British and French troops for the possession of the island. British won the battle and abolished slavery from the island. It was in the year1968 the year of Mauritius Independence, Rodriguez was under Mauritius rule. At present, Rodrigues is an independent region of the island of Mauritius that desires to full autonomy.
The volcanic island of Rodrigues rises from the crest along the border of the Mascarene Plateau. More than 1.4 million years the island of Rodrigues has urbanized into a distinctive environment which includes several species. Species like the Rodrigues Fruit Bat, a Rodrigues warbler, a Rodrigues fody, two species of damselfish, species of crustaceans and species of coral are found in this region. Some of the other animal species include the Rodrigues Solitaries and the Rodrigues giant tortoises.
The 18 km long coast of Rodrigues which is 8 km wide is set in the typical postcard scene that represents the 200 km lagoon. The little turquoise blue creeks, the small islands and the white sandy beach seem to coil the Rodrigues Island. The big caves, great mountains and caverne Patate gifted with abundant stalagmites & stalactites makes the island of Rodrigues feel proud for its splendid nature. The varied landscape, expansive lagoons and the huge mountains discloses a new world waiting to be exposed at the Rodrigues Islands.
