Rodrigues Island

Rodrigues Island, known as the anti-stress island, is located in the Indian Ocean at about 650 km in the east of its big sister, Mauritius. The island is visited daily by tourists and the opening of its new airport in 2004 allows direct flights from Reunion Island. You can still go through Mauritius and after a 1 hour 45 minutes flight, you will have time to go hiking, fishing and for sea outings to return to nature. Discover the extraordinary landscape, courtesy of the people and with us, the underwater flora and fauna.

History

Rodrigues, part of the the republic of Mauritius was named after a Portuguese navigator Don Diego Rodriguez, who visited it in 1528 but did not linger there. In fact the discovery of Rodrigues goes back to the sixteenth century. Between the tenth and eleventh centuries, the Mascarene Islands were constantly visited by the Arabs. So we could see on a map, made in the twelfth century by the Arab geographer Al Sharif El-Edrissi, the representation of the three Mascarene islands bearing the names of Dina sign (now Mauritius), Dina Margabin (now Reunion) and Dina Morazé (Rodrigues now).

By 1601, the Dutch headed for the island to refuel and continue their journey.

But in 1691, the eight fellow Huguenots, including Francois Leguat, landed on the island to set up a colony of Protestant refugees. But loneliness forced them to head to Mauritius on a raft after two years of residence.



Years passed, the island remained empty and served only as fuelling station for ships en route to the Indies. The island was full of giant tortoises that had already disappeared from other islands in the Mascarenes.

In 1735, the island is permanently occupied by a detachment following the orders of Mahé de Labourdonnais, Governor of the Isle de France (Mauritius) and Bourbon (Réunion) for the collection of turtles that are loaded on vessels towards the two islands. And Rodrigues was plundered during 60 years leading to extinction of these species in the late eighteenth century.

In 1732 other settlers came to stay in the devastated island. Among them, Philibert Maragon arrived in 1794 to develop crops and livestock. At this time came the ancestors of the current population of the island, African slaves who were sent from Mauritius to Rodrigues. The population of the island in the early nineteenth century counted up to one hundred inhabitants (22 settlers and 82 slaves).

In 1809, British troops took possession of Rodrigues. This was where the English sent their naval forces to attack Ile de France in 1810. Mauritius and Rodrigues became British territories. Slavery was abolished.

The island was populated quickly by freed slaves and European settlers and counted 3,000 inhabitants in the late nineteenth century. The British invested little in developing the island, it remained purely agricultural vocation. It acted as the "granary of Mauritius" as the commodities produced in Rodrigues were sent to her "big sister".

Rodrigues’ growth was slow and gradual but unrelated to the rapid development that Maurice knew with his booming economy based on sugarcane and the arrival of immigrants from India.

After the independence of Mauritius in 1968,, the island was incorporated into the Mauritian territory.

In 2002, the island was granted some autonomy in managing its internal affairs. A start was made for a future total independence to which the government of Mauritius does not seem opposed.

Geography

Lost in the Indian Ocean, at some 650 km east of Mauritius, Rodrigues Island is an island of volcanic origin.

Covering an area of 108 km2 (18 km x 8 km), the island is surrounded by a fringing reef of 90 kilometres protecting a shallow lagoon, twice the size of its land. Its lagoon is home to 18 islands of which the best known are: Ile Hermitage, Ile Aux Cocos, Ile Au Sable or Ile Aux Chats.

The interior consists of a mountain range which rises to 398 meters (Mont Limon) and crosses from east to west almost all of the island. Some fairly steep ravines lead to emerald colored bays or impressive cliffs.

Unlike its big sister Mauritius, Rodrigues does not have sugar cane fields as far as the eye can see, or clouded peaks but rocky coasts covered with grass yellowed by drought and rolling hills dotted with crops on terraces. Thick forests cover parts of the island.

Shores, very indented, form many bays. In the east and south, there are large sandy beaches bordered by filaos trees.

The main places of interest are (see map):

- Port Mathurin, the pocket-size capital. Quiet and calm, it is home to the only port of the island.
- Caverne Patate, 1057 meters (accessible part: 600 meters), goes down to 26 meters. It is decorated with natural stalagmites and stalactites and other unusual shapes of coral stone.
- Rivière Banane, a small agricultural village lost in a valley. There are many plantations and two large sandy beaches separated by a basalt peak.
- Ile Aux Cocos, a long stretch of white sand covered with filaos trees, is a nature reserve. It is home to many seabirds.
- Ile Hermitage, with its rugged and rocky relief, and its tiny heavenly beach is an invitation to be Robinsons.
- Ile Catherine, rocky and wild, has from its summit a magnificent view of the west coast. It serves as a shelter for net fishing fishermen who sometimes come there to rest.
- Plaine Mapou offers a rustic landscape, adorned with a beautiful bay with shades (Baie Topaze). Completely isolated, the feeling of "World's End" is very strong.
- The whole coastline to explore on foot! The island has a countless number of paths allowing you to walk all around it. In particular, the rugged coast from Pointe Cotton to Graviers reveals deserted beaches and coves of great beauty: Saint-François, Anse Bouteille, Anse Philibert, Trou d'Argent ...

Climate

The climate is slightly drier and warmer than Maurice. It does not rain much in Rodrigues, the relatively long periods of drought cause real problems of water supply for the population.

As the island is located in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are reversed. During the summer, hot and humid,which lasts from November to April, temperatures range between 28 and 35 ° C. During this period the risk of cyclones is more important, especially in January and February. In "winter", from June to September, temperatures range between 16 and 27 ° C. The prevailing wind from the south-east is more important in winter.

The sea is warm in summer (25 ° C to 28 ° C) and cools a bit in winter (22 ° to 24 ° C).

As always in the tropics, the sun sets quite early:

between 18h and 19h, depending on the season.

Economy

The main economic activities of the island are fishing, farming and cultivation, especially the onion, garlic and chilli. Planting corn is no longer the main activity as rice has almost completely taken its place as the basic daily food.

As a whole, the economy of Rodrigues is quite poor. The residents often have many activities (fishermen, planters and farmers, when they do not yet work in the public sector) which is not enough to fill the chronic shortage in the island. Income from exports of livestock, fishery products and food crops are largely deficient because the cost of imported goods. There have been attempts to implement manufacturing units (textiles) but those were unsuccessful, mainly due to problems of water supply.

Recently, the island's economy has however undergone fundamental changes: tourism has become a promising sector. Rodriguans have recognized the value of their island but also to their craft (weaving, embroidery, condiments, honey, etc.). They have developed intelligently. Fortunately they seem not to want an excessive implementation of tourism infrastructure in order to preserve the peace, charm and authenticity of their island.

Politics

The Island is actually a district of the Republic of Mauritius and depends on it. However, the Mauritian National Assembly has unanimously adopted November 20, 2001 two laws giving autonomy to the island of Rodrigues and creating a decentralized system of government. And Rodrigues is now autonomous.

This new legislation has enabled the establishment of a Rodrigues Regional Assembly of 18 members and an executive council headed by a Chief Commissioner. This council meets weekly to make decisions, make laws and manage the budget.

The Chief Commissioner must notify the Mauritian Prime Minister of the state of affairs of the island.

Population

The special charm of the island comes mainly from the quiet and harmonious lifestyle of its people. Discretion, kindness and simplicity are the traits of Rodriguans. They live according to the rhythm of time that passes, in the calm and serenity despite the fact that life is tough.

The population of Rodrigues is estimated at more than 38,000 inhabitants, the overwhelming majority is Creole. Tanned skinned descendants of slaves from Madagascar and Africa, and a minority of mixed race (known as "red"), descendants of European settlers form the bulk of the population Rodrigues. There are also the inevitable Chinese traders and some Indian officials from Mauritius.

The Catholic religion is the most practiced in the island, but there are also small numbers of Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. It should be noted that there is a great influence of the Catholic religion in daily life and culture of the population. Religion, respect for tradition and family are the pillars of the rodriguan life.

Contrary to what one might expect in such a society, women have a very active part. They form the backbone of the economy of the island. With strength and courage, they are everywhere, at home, in the fields, on markets and even at sea!

Wildlife

The first signs of colonization were enough to ravage the island. The human impact has been devastating and this little wild paradise that had evolved away from men, for millions of years, was destroyed in no time.

Thousands of giant tortoises that inhabited the island were victims of a profitable trade organized by the colonies of the Ile de France and Ile Bourbon (Mauritius and Reunion). The Solitaire bird, a species unique in the world (close to the Dodo of Mauritius) was the target of passing sailors and hungry settlers.

In the late eighteenth century, the tortoises had disappeared and the last Solitaire died. What remains now? Thousands of sea birds who have found refuge on the islands protected and scattered in the lagoon as the ‘Noddis Bruns’ (nicknamed "mandarins"), ‘fregates’, ‘sternes fuligineuses’ (called "yéyé") or the ‘sterne blanche’ ("oiseau la vierge ").

On land, two endemic and endangered species can still be observed: Yellow Cardinal Rodrigues (Foudia flavicans - Yellow Fody Rodrigues) and the Rodrigues Warbler (Acrocephalus rodericanus - Rodrigues warbler).

The only endemic mammal living on the island is a fruit bat.

It is actually under water that wildlife is the richest. The 90 km of coral reefs abound with fish and invertebrates, but also in pelagic fish that come to hunt.

Flora

Once lush, the flora of Rodrigues has suffered from deforestation due to damage by livestock, long periods of drought and overuse of some plants used for their medicinal value and as raw material for the production of crafted products.

Reforestation and protection of flora has become a priority, as the establishment of mangroves in the lagoon to prevent further erosion. Areas have been declared nature reserves and reforestation has been undertaken. More than 3,500 people are actively involved in these projects. Rodriguans showed a real enthusiasm to engage in the cultivation of native plants and thus preserve their natural heritage.

The most common trees and shrubs in the island are the filaos trees, the palms, the pandanus, aloes, lemon and vetiver. There is also a specific plant on the island, called "vieille fille", a kind of small shrub with pink flowers that are used in infusion. But also other rare plants with mysterious names: coffee brown, wooden pipe, mango wood, iron wood, wood bat, wood kid, wood stinking ...