Mahé is the largest island of
Seychelles
Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...
, with an area of , lying in the northeast of the Seychellean nation in the Somali Sea part of the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
. The population of Mahé was 77,000, as of the 2010 census. It contains the capital city of
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
and accommodates 86% of the country's total population. The island was named after
Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais
Bertrand-François Mahé, comte de La Bourdonnais (11 February 169910 November 1753) was a French naval officer and colonial administrator, in the service of the French East India Company.
Biography
La Bourdonnais entered the service of the Fren ...
, a French governor of
Isle de France (modern-day
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
).
History
Mahé was first visited by the British in 1609 and not visited by Europeans again until
Lazare Picault Lazare Picault (fl. mid-18th century) was a French explorer known for his exploration of islands in the Seychelles. 's expedition of 1742. The French navy frégate ''
Le Cerf'' (English: The Deer) arrived at
Port Victoria on 1 November 1756. On board was
Corneille Nicholas Morphey Captain Corneille Nicholas Morphey was the commander of the French East India Company frigate ''Le Cerf''.
On November 1, 1756, he took possession of the Seychelles
Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=n ...
, leader of the French expedition, which claimed the island for the
King of France
France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions.
Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...
by laying a Stone of Possession on Mahé, Seychelles’ oldest monument, now on display in the National Museum, Victoria.
In August 1801 a Royal Navy frigate
HMS ''Sibylle'' captured the French frigate ''Chiffonne'' on the island. Mahé remained a French possession until 1812 when it became a British colony. It remained a colony until 1976 when Seychelles became an independent nation.
Mahé had a huge land reclamation project due to a housing shortage in the areas of Bel Ombre and the
Port of Victoria.
Mahé was largely a plantation owned by the Frichot family. In 1977 France-Albert René staged a coup d’état and forced all the Frichots out of Seychelles or into prison. Some, such as Robert Frichot, were held in René’s jails for several months in 1978 and told to leave Seychelles for their own safety upon release.
Geography
Mahé's tallest peak is
Morne Seychellois
Morne Seychellois is the highest peak in Seychelles. Morne Seychellois is located on the island of Mahé in the Morne Seychellois National Park
Morne is an Old-French word for a small mountain. It may refer to:
* Morne a Chandelle, a village in t ...
at , which lies in the
Morne Seychellois National Park
Morne is an Old-French word for a small mountain. It may refer to:
* Morne a Chandelle, a village in the Sud-Est department of Haiti
* Morne-à-l'Eau, a commune in Guadeloupe
* Morne Bois-Pin, the fourth highest mountain in Haiti
* Morne la Vigie ...
. The northern and eastern parts of the island are home to much of the population and the
Seychelles International Airport
Seychelles International Airport , or ''Aéroport de la Pointe Larue'' in French, is the international airport of the Seychelles located on the island of Mahé near the capital city of Victoria. The airport is the home base and the head office ...
which opened in 1971. The southern and western parts have
Baie Ternay Marine National Park,
Port Launay Marine National Park
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
, and
University of Seychelles
University of Seychelles, informally also called UniSey, is the primary institution of higher education in Seychelles. It was established on 17 September 2009.
There are three campuses: the main campus at Anse Royale, the Mont Fleuri campus offe ...
. The
Sainte Anne Marine National Park
Sainte Anne Marine National Park lies about 5 km from Victoria, the capital city of the Seychelles, and encompasses eight small islands.
History
The Marine Park was created in 1973 for the preservation of wildlife, the first of its kind in th ...
lies offshore, as do
Conception Island,
Thérèse Island
Thérèse Island is a small island off the western coast of Mahé in the Seychelles. It has 700 m long white sand beaches, with numerous coconut palms. It has two rocky peaks which resemble a giant's staircase, the tallest, Thérèse Peak, bein ...
,
Anonyme Island
Anonyme Island is a small granitic island (0.1 km²) in the Seychelles, lying 700 m off the east coast of Mahé, Seychelles, Mahé, near the runway of the Seychelles International Airport.
History
The island was named after a 180-ton sailing ...
, and several smaller islands.
Mahé's forests have rare endemic plants found only in Seychelles, such as the critically endangered ''
Medusagyne oppositifolia'' (the jellyfish tree), the carnivorous ''
Nepenthes pervillei'' (Seychelles
pitcher plant
Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher p ...
), and many unique species of
orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
.
Administration
The island has multiple districts.
Economy
Mahé's economy is mainly dependent on tourism.
Air Seychelles
Air Seychelles is the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles. Its head office is located at Seychelles International Airport on the island of Mahé and it operates inter-island and international flights and charter flights.
History
E ...
has its head office on the property of
Seychelles International Airport
Seychelles International Airport , or ''Aéroport de la Pointe Larue'' in French, is the international airport of the Seychelles located on the island of Mahé near the capital city of Victoria. The airport is the home base and the head office ...
on the island. The
Port of Victoria is home to a tuna fishing and canning industry. From 1963 to 1996, the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
maintained a satellite control network at the
Indian Ocean Station, where it had a significant impact on the local economy.
Seychelles Station Tracks U.S. Satellites : Air Force Facility Marks 25th Anniversary of Indian Ocean Duty
/ref>
Gallery
File:View point Anse Major Mahe (27842343749).jpg, View point Anse Major, Mahe
File:Aerial of Beau Vallon Mahe, Seychelles (38911468714).jpg, Aerial of Beau Vallon Mahe, Seychelles
File:Beach resort Mahe, Seychelles (39619518591).jpg, Beach resort Mahe Island, Seychelles
File:Steuerparadies Eden island Mahe (27842327419).jpg, Eden island Mahe
File:View point Anse Intendance beach Mahe Seychelles (38723090535).jpg, View point at Anse Intendance beach, Mahe
File:Luftbild Anse Intendance Strand Mahe Seychellen (24751376957).jpg, Aerial of beach Anse Intendance
File:Aerial of Anse Takamaka beach Mahe Seychelles (39589907292).jpg, Aerial of Anse Takamaka beach, Mahe
File:Seychelles large map.jpg, Map 1
File:Victoria (Seychelles).jpg, Mahé's capital Victoria
File:Hindu Temple Victoria Seychelles Islands of Africa.jpg, Arulmigu Navasakti Vinayagar Temple
File:Mahecapital.jpg, Mahé's capital Victoria
File:Maheview.jpg, Mahé
File:Seychelles 019.JPG, Beach
File:Seychelles,_mahe.JPG, Mahé's Harbour
File:Port Launay Beach view.jpg, Port Launay Beach, Mahé
References
External links
National Bureau of Statistics
Mahe Map 2015
Info on the island
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahe, Seychelles
Islands of Mahé Islands
Somali Sea