Rodrigues Island

Rodrigues is a small volcanic island in the western Indian Ocean, far east of Mauritius. A broad lagoon and coral reef surround its shores, while its hills rise above the sea. In 1691 the French Huguenot François Leguat and seven companions landed here, hoping to establish a refuge for Protestants. They departed two years later. A permanent French settlement was established in 1735, and the island later passed into British hands in 1809.