Nosy Mangabe
| Nosy Mangabe | |
|---|---|
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| Waters | Baie d'Antongil |
| Geographical location | 15 ° 29 ′ 42 ″ S , 49 ° 46 ′ 5 ″ E |
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| length | 3.9 km |
| width | 2.1 km |
| surface | 5.2 km² |
| Highest elevation | 333 m |
| Residents | uninhabited |
Nosy Mangabe is a small island in the Baie d'Antongil and is located about two kilometers southeast of the city of Maroantsetra on the northeast coast of Madagascar . It is the northernmost and by far the largest of a chain of islands over eleven kilometers long , stretching from Nosy Milomboka in the south via Nosy Haramy and Nosy Ravina to Nosy Mangabe in the north and counting a total of five islands. The 520 hectare island, which is completely occupied by the Reserve speciale de Nosy Mangabe , established in 1965 , can be visited by boat from Maroantsetra. The island was a trading post and hideout for pirates in the early modern period. Stone carvings in the Dutch language from the 16th century bear witness to this .
Geography and nature
Nosy Mangabe is part of the Masoala National Park and is covered by tropical rainforest . On the island, among other things, introduced lives there lemurs aye-aye (aye-aye), which is nocturnal. Therefore, an overnight stay in the simple camp on the island, which is available to biologists, researchers and ecotourists, is recommended to observe the animals.
Other animal species on the island include the skink Amphiglossus astrolabi , the Madagascar colored frog Mantella laevigata and the newly introduced white-headed lemur .
The British science fiction author Douglas Adams wrote the book Last Chance to See together with the British zoologist Mark Carwardine , which was also published in Germany with the title The Last of their Kind and also served as the template for a television film series. The wildlife of Nosy Mangabe is part of the documentaries.
archeology
On the island there are settlement remains that are dated to the 8th century and are among the oldest archaeological finds in Madagascar. In addition to the remains of pottery and iron slag, shards of objects made of chlorite slate and white, glazed ceramics, which probably come from the Far East, were found. In the uppermost deposits there are finds from the early modern period, including Chinese ceramics and the remains of Dutch seafarers.
Individual evidence
- ^ Robert E. Dewar, Henry T. Wright: The Culture History of Madagascar . Journal of World Prehistory, Volume 7, No. 4, 1993