Mahé, Seychelles

Mahé
	Beach on Mahé
	Mahé Location of Mahé in the Seychelles
Geography
Location	Seychelles, Indian Ocean
Coordinates	4°41′S 55°29′E / 4.68°S 55.48°E
Archipelago	Inner Islands, Seychelles
Adjacent to	Indian Ocean
Total islands	1
Major islands	Mahé;
Area	157.3 km2 (60.7 sq mi)
Length	26 km (16.2 mi)
Width	17 km (10.6 mi)
Coastline	111.3 km (69.16 mi)
Highest elevation	905 m (2969 ft)
Highest point	Morne Seychellois
Administration
	Seychelles
Group	Inner Islands
Sub-Group	Mahe Islands
Districts	Multiple
Largest settlement	Victoria (pop. 35,000)
Demographics
Population	95,000 (2018)
Pop. density	490/km2 (1270/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Chinese, Creole, East Africans, French, and Indians
Additional information
Time zone	SCT (UTC+4);
Official website	www.seychelles.travel/en/discover/the-islands/inner-islands/28-discover/the-islands/2901-mahe

Mahé is the largest island of Seychelles, with an area of 157.3 square kilometres (60.7 sq mi), lying in the northeast of the Seychellois nation in the Somali Sea part of the Indian Ocean. The population of Mahé was 77,000, as of the 2010 census.^[1] It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 86% of the country's total population. The island was named after Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, a French governor of Isle de France (modern-day Mauritius).

History

Mahé was first visited by the British in 1609 and not visited by Europeans again until Lazare Picault'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, leader of the French expedition, which claimed the island for the King of France by laying a Stone of Possession on Mahé, Seychelles’ oldest monument, now on display in the National Museum, Victoria.

In August 1801, 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.^[2]

Mahé was largely a plantation owned by the Frichot family.^[3] 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.^[4]

Geography

Mahé's tallest peak is Morne Seychellois at 905 m (2,969 ft), which lies in the Morne Seychellois National Park. The northern and eastern parts of the island are home to much of the population and the Seychelles International Airport which opened in 1971. The southern and western parts have Baie Ternay Marine National Park, Port Launay Marine National Park, and University of Seychelles. The Sainte Anne Marine National Park lies offshore, as do Conception Island, Thérèse Island, Anonyme Island, 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), and many unique species of orchid.

Administration

The island has multiple districts.^[5]

Economy

Mahé's economy is mainly dependent on tourism.

Air Seychelles has its head office on the property of Seychelles International Airport on the island.^[6] The Port of Victoria is home to a tuna fishing and canning industry. From 1963 to 1996, the United States Air Force maintained a satellite control network at the Indian Ocean Station, where it had a significant impact on the local economy.^[7]

Notable people

Margaret Elwyn Sparshott (1870–1940), English matron, born in Mahé.^[8]

Dr. Louis Gaston Labat (1876–1934), an influential physician, leader and advocate of regional anesthesiology, and the original founder of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia in 1923.^[9]