 the mascarene islands (or mascarenhas archipelago) is a group of islands in the indian ocean east of madagascar consisting of mauritius, rÃ©union and rodrigues. the collective title is derived from the portuguese navigator pedro mascarenhas, who first visited them in the early sixteenth century. the islands share a common geologic origin in the volcanism of the rÃ©union hotspot beneath the mascarene plateau and form a distinct ecoregion with a unique flora and fauna. ==location and description== the archipelago comprises three large islands, mauritius, rÃ©union, and rodrigues, plus a number of volcanic remnants in the tropics of the southwestern indian ocean, generally between 700 and 1500 kilometres east of madagascar. the terrain includes a variety of reefs, atolls, and small islands. they present various topographical and edaphic regions. on the largest islands these gave rise to unusual biodiversity. the climate is oceanic and tropical. ===geology===  the islands are volcanic in origin; saya de malha (35 mya) was the first of the mascarene islands to rise out of the indian ocean due to the rÃ©union hotspot, followed by nazareth bank (some 2,000 yrs later), soudan bank and cargados carajos. the youngest isla
Afrotropic_ecozone Archipelagoes_of_the_Indian_Ocean Former_French_colonies Former_Portuguese_colonies Geography_of_East_Africa Islands_of_Africa Islands_of_the_Indian_Ocean Mascarene_Islands Tropical_and_subtropical_moist_broadleaf_forests Volcanic_arc_islands