The island of Rodrigues is the easternmost point of the entire African continent.
Rodrigues, also called Île Rodrigues, is an autonomous outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It is about 553 km east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Islands, which include Mauritius and Réunion. The island was apparently uninhabited when it was sighted by the Portuguese in 1507. It was first colonized by the French, but the British received the island from the French at the end of the Napoleonic Wars (1800–1815). With Rodrigues being the easternmost point of Africa, Mauritius becomes the most eastern republic of the African continent.
Its inhabitants are Mauritian citizens. As of 2014, the island’s population was about 41,669. Most of the inhabitants are of African descent. Its economy is based mainly on farming, fishing, handicraft, and tourism. The President of the Republic of Mauritius is its head of state and the Chief Commissioner is its head of government. The island used to be the tenth District of Mauritius. It gained autonomous status on 10 December 2002, and it is governed by the Rodrigues Regional Assembly. The capital of the island is Port Mathurin.
Rodrigues is of volcanic origin, it is about 18 km long and 6.5 km wide with an area of 108 km2. The island is hilly with its high peak being Mountain Limon at 398 m and is surrounded by a large fringing reef, forming a lagoon within which lie eighteen small islets.
The island was named after the Portuguese explorer Diogo Rodrigues in February 1528. During the 1800s, the French made several attempts to develop the island. The French brought African slaves to the island to breed and raise livestock and farm. In 1735 a permanent French settlement was established on the island. However, in 1809, after a short battle with the French, the British took possession of Rodrigues. Rodrigues is the only Mascarene island with extensive limestone deposits and caves.
