North Island is a small granitic island (2.01 km²) in the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

Geography

The island is one of the Seychelles' 42 inner islands. It is 5.8 km (3.6 miles) north of

Silhouette Island Silhouette Island lies northwest of Mahé, Seychelles, Mahé in the Seychelles. It is the third largest Granitic Seychelles, granitic island in the Seychelles. It has an area of 20.1 km2 and has a population of 200, mostly workers on the ...

, and north west of Mahé. The island has four beaches; East Beach, West Beach (or ''Grande Anse''), Honeymoon Cove, and Dive Beach. The highest point of the island is 180 m. The perimeter measures in at 7.55 km, and the area is 2.01 km²

History

North Island was the first Seychelles island to record a landing by seafarers. An expedition in 1609 by Captain Sharpeigh and the crew of the

English East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South Asia and Southeast A ...

vessel ''Ascension'' reported that the island had a large population of giant land tortoises. From 1826 until the 1970s, North Island was owned by the Beaufond family from

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

. During this time, the island had a plantation for growing fruits and spices, as well as producing guano, fish oil, and copra. After the plantation was sold in the 1970s, the island fell into disuse and was taken over by feral animals and alien species of weeds. In 1981, North Island was given to Marius Maier by his father. He intended to return the island to its former pristine state before human settlers arrived, including the removal of many unwanted animal and plant species, including

pigs The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include '' Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoo ...

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

casuarina ''Casuarina'', also known as she-oak, Australian pine and native pine, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Casuarinaceae, and is native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and e ...

cows Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

, Indian mynah birds, cats and a very intrusive weed called

lantana ''Lantana'' () is a genus of about 150 species of perennial plant, perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropics, tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in num ...

. He re-introduced the Seychelles' natural flora and fauna, including

giant tortoise Giant tortoises are any of several species of various large land tortoises, which include a number of extinct species, as well as two extant species with multiple subspecies formerly common on the islands of the western Indian Ocean and on the ...

s, certain birds, and trees such as takamaka, badamier and the famous coco-de-mer palm. In 1982, Marius Maier and the villagers established a turtle nest monitoring center. In 1997, North Island was purchased for US$5 million by Wilderness Holdings Limited, an ecotourism company from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. They opened a private resort in 2003, aiming at the eco-tourism market, with 11 private villas. The resort has developed the island and increased its population. North Island stood in for Tracy Island in the 2004 live-action adaptation of ''Thunderbirds''. In May 2011, it was the site for the royal honeymoon of the Duke and

Duchess of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge is a hereditary title of nobility in the British royal family, one of several royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom. The title is named after the city of Cambridge in England. It is heritable by male descendants by primogeni ...

. In 2019, the North Island resort joined

Marriott International Marriott International, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging brands that include hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. Marriott International owns over 37 ho ...

's The Luxury Collection soft brand.

Politics

The island is part of La Digue and Inner Islands district, it was part of Silhouette district until it was dissolved in 1977 following the decline in copra production on this group of islands.

Economics

Most of the population is employed in the tourism business. Accommodations reserved for the permanent staff are located near the island's center.

Facilities

The buildings of the island are either renovated coral buildings or were built from the removal of the unwanted trees on the island, during Marius Maier's plan. The resort has 10 standard villas, and a special excluded (Villa North). A gym is in the village, a huge spa, library, and restaurant. The resort also features a boutique, a dive center, a main pool, and a bar.info 3
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Tourism

The island has many activities. mountain biking, scuba diving, kayaking, and deep-sea fishing. The resort offers a unique dining concept: the chef discusses guests' likes and dislikes upon arrival and bases available ingredients on this information. All food on North Island is either grown in the organic vegetable gardens, reared on the island or caught fresh from the sea.

Gallery

File:North_Island_55.24963E_4.39147S.png, Satellite view

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:North Island, Seychelles Islands of La Digue and Inner Islands