The island of Mauritius is the largest of the islands that make up the Republic of Mauritius, with an area of 1864,8 square kilometers. The island is surrounded by more than 150 kilometers of white sandy beaches and the world’s third-largest coral reef. A short distance from the island are some 49 uninhabited islands and islets, several of which serve as nature reserves for endangered species.
The island is relatively young geologically, having been formed by volcanic activity some eight million years ago. The entire Mascarene Archipelago was formed by giant eruptions of submarine volcanoes thousands of kilometers east of Africa and Madagascar. No longer volcanically active, the current volcanic hotspot is located under the island of Réunion.
