NOSY-BE

also called Nossi-b, island lying about 5 miles (8 km) off the northwestern shore of Madagascar. The name means big island. It is 19 miles (30 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide and has an area of 120 square miles (300 square km). Nosy-Be is a volcanic island that has forests and numerous craters and crater lakes. Its highest point is Mount Passot (1,079 ft ). It has an annual rainfall of 78118 inches (1,9753,000 mm). The island's products, chiefly sugar and oils for perfumery, also include rum, vanilla, black pepper, and bitter oranges. The capital, in the south, is Hell-Ville, a resort and port for foreign shipping and trade along the west coast of Madagascar. There is an airfield at Fascne, 7 miles (12 km) away. The arrival of Captain Passot's warship Colibri in 1840 initiated the cession of the island to the French, and the town Hell-Ville was named after Passot's commander in chief, Admiral de Hell. The island has been part of Madagascar since 1896. Pop. (1978 est.) 39,000.