Mahé, Seychelles

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For other places with the same name, see Mahé.

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Mahé
Beach on Mahé
Geography

Location	Indian Ocean
Archipelago	Seychelles
Area	155 km²
Highest point	Morne Seychellois 905 m
Administration
Seychelles
Largest city	Victoria
Demographics
Population	72,000

Mahé is the largest island (155 km²) of the Seychelles, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahe is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria and has 90% of the country's total population. The island was named after [ Mahé de La Bourdonnais], a governor of Mauritius.

Mahé's tallest peak is Morne Seychellois at 905m, 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 international airport 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 lies offshore, as do Conception Island, Thérèse Island, Anonyme Island and Silhouette Island.

Mahe was first visited by the British in 1609 and not visited by Europeans again until Lazare Picault's expedition of 1742. Mahe remained a French possession until 1812 when it became a British colony. It remained a colony until 1976 when Seychelles became an independent nation.

Mahe's forests have rare endemic plants found only in the Seychelles, such as the Jellyfish tree, the carnivorous Seychelles Pitcher plant and many species of unique orchids.

Mahe is currently undergoing a huge land reclamation project due to housing problems.^{[citation needed]}