MASCARENE ISLANDS

French les Mascareignes, collectively, the islands of Runion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues, which are situated in a line along a submarine ridge, the SeychellesMauritius Plateau, 400 to 500 miles (640 to 800 km) northeast from southern Madagascar in the western Indian Ocean. All are volcanic in origin. The name Mascarene is taken from the 16th-century Portuguese explorer Pedro de Mascarenhas. The islands now form the two separate Indian Ocean states of Runion and Mauritius (Rodrigues Island is a dependency of Mauritius), and all face problems of extreme population pressure. Pop. (1987 est.) 1,605,000.