Nosy Boraha

History

Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the island known as Ile Sainte-Marie, or St. Mary's Island in English, turned into a favorite hideout for pirates. The spot was ideal for their activities because it sat close to the shipping lanes used by vessels returning from the East Indies, their holds packed with stolen goods. The island offered sheltered bays and inlets to ride out storms, plenty of fruit, and calm waters. Famous pirates like William Kidd, Robert Culliford, Olivier Levasseur (also called La Buse, who left behind a cryptogram), Henry Every, Abraham Samuel, and Thomas Tew once stayed on Ile aux Forbans, a small island in the bay of the main town, Ambodifotatra.

Many of these pirates were buried in cemeteries on Nosy Boraha, though no one has ever identified their remains. There were rumors that Henry Every founded a Pirate Republic here, ruling as a Pirate King or Emperor. Another story claims a French pirate named Misson set up a pirate republic called Libertalia in Antsiranana Bay, in northern Madagascar, but this tale is thought to be a made-up legend inspired by Every's kingdom. In 1750, Bety of Betsimisaraka, the ruler of the Kingdom of Betsimisaraka, signed a treaty giving the island to France.

But in 1752, the local population rebelled and massacred the French colonists. France left the settlement empty for about fifty years, then returned in 1818 and turned the island into a penal colony. In 1857, the French built Madagascar's first Catholic church there, which still holds services today. French control ended in 1960, after the islanders voted in a referendum to become part of the Malagasy Republic.

Fauna and flora

The insular character and coralline soil encouraged various adaptations in both animal and plant structure. Boraha has several species of lemur and numerous orchid species, including the "Queen of Madagascar" (Eulophiella roempleriana). The island was home to the only known population of Delalande's coua, a cuckoo species that became extinct in the 19th century, likely due to deforestation, over-exploitation, and reduced food sources from introduced rats.