Mahé is the largest island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 (155 km²/59.8 sq. mi.) of the Seychelles

Seychelles

Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....

, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahé is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria

Victoria, Seychelles

Victoria is the capital city of the Seychelles and is situated on the north-eastern side of Mahé island, which is the main island of the archipelago. The city was first established as the seat of the British colonial government...

 and accommodates 90% of the country's total population. The island was named after Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais

Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais

Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais was a French naval officer and administrator, in the service of the French East India Company.-Biography:...

, a French governor of Mauritius

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

.

Mahé's tallest peak is Morne Seychellois

Morne Seychellois

Morne Seychellois is the highest peak in Seychelles. Morne Seychellois is located on the island of Mahé in the Morne Seychellois National Park.-External links:*...

 at 905 m, which lies in the Morne Seychellois National Park. The northern and eastern parts of the island are home to much of the population and the Seychelles International Airport

Seychelles International Airport

Seychelles International Airport or Aéroport de La Pointe la Rue as it is known locally is located on the island of Mahé, Seychelles near the capital city of Victoria...

 which opened in 1971. The southern and western parts have Baie Ternay Marine National Park and Port Launay Marine National Park. The Ste Anne Marine National Park

Ste Anne Marine National Park

Ste Anne Marine National Park lies about 5 km from Victoria, the capital city of the Seychelles, and encompasses six small islands. The Marine Park was created in 1973 for the preservation of wildlife...

 lies offshore, as do Conception Island

Conception Island, Seychelles

Conception Island is a small island in the Seychelles 2 km west of Mahé. Conception contained a coconut plantation until the mid 1970s; today it is uninhabited. Conception Island, along with its sister island Thérèse Island, is part of Port Glaud district of Mahé, the main island of the...

, Thérèse Island

Thérèse Island

Therese Island is a small islet off the western coast of Mahé in the Seychelles. It has white sand beaches, 700 m with numerous coconut palms. It has two rocky peaks which resemble a giant's staircase, the tallest, Thérèse Peak, being 160 metres above sea level. There is a reef protecting the...

, Anonyme Island

Anonyme Island

Anonyme Island is a small granitic island in the Seychelles, 700 meters off the east coast of Mahé. Anonyme is named after a ship of the same name.It has abundant plant life including ironwood and banyan trees...

 and Silhouette Island

Silhouette Island

Silhouette Island lies 20 km northwest of Mahé in the Seychelles. It is the third largest island in the Seychelles. It has an area of 20 km² and has a population of 135, mostly workers on the island. The main settlement is La Passe, where there is a hotel for visitors to Silhouette...

.

Mahé was first visited by the British in 1609 and not visited by Europeans again until Lazare Picault

Lazare Picault

Lazare Picault was a French explorer known for his exploration of islands in the Seychelles. Although Arab, Portuguese and British sailors visited the Seychelles prior to Picault, he was the first to do any extensive exploration....

's expedition of 1742. Mahé remained a French possession until 1812 when it became a British colony. It remained a colony until 1976 when Seychelles became an independent nation.

Mahé's forests have rare endemic plants found only in the Seychelles, such as the critically endangered Medusagyne oppositifolia (the "Jellyfish tree"), the carnivorous Seychelles Pitcher plant

Pitcher plant

Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. It has been widely assumed that the various sorts of pitfall trap evolved from rolled leaves, with selection pressure favouring more deeply cupped leaves over...

 and many species of unique orchids.

Mahé is currently undergoing a huge land reclamation project due to housing problems.

Economy

Air Seychelles

Air Seychelles

Air Seychelles is the national airline of the Seychelles, with its head office on the property of Seychelles International Airport on the island of Mahé. It operates inter-island services and international flights...

 has its head office on the property of Seychelles International Airport

Seychelles International Airport

Seychelles International Airport or Aéroport de La Pointe la Rue as it is known locally is located on the island of Mahé, Seychelles near the capital city of Victoria...

 on the island. The Port of Victoria

Port of Victoria (Seychelles)

Port of Victoria, located in Seychelles, is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar. Port-Victoria has no fixed handling equipment...

is home to a tuna fishing and canning industry.