Sainte-Marie, Madagascar
Nosy Boraha [ˈnuʃ buˈrahə̥], previously known as Île Sainte-Marie (and still popularly known by travellers as such), is an island off the east coast of Madagascar, to which it belongs. The main town is Ambodifotatra. The island forms an administrative district within Analanjirofo Region, and covers an area of 222 km2. It had a population estimated at 26,547 in 2013.
The island is organized as the city (commune urbaine) and district of Nosy Boraha in Analanjirofo Region, and is part of the nation of Madagascar.
The population has changed over the centuries. Originally it was Austronesian, as on the larger islands of Madagascar and then reverted to pirate control, however most inhabitants now are similar to the rest of the northeast coast of Madagascar.
This island is 60 kilometres (37 miles) long and less than 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) wide.
The channel between Nosy Boraha and Madagascar is a hot spot for whale watching. Substantial groups of humpback whales (Megaptera) migrate from the Antarctic to this idyllic breeding place. These quiet giants find conditions here that are favourable for the growth of their young and well suited to their courtship and acrobatic games before their big return toward the cold seas. Although very little in numbers, some southern right whales, as a part of recolonizations to their former ranges, are known to appear along the coasts from time to time.
Ile Sainte-Marie, or St. Mary's Island as it is known in English, became a popular base for pirates, starting with Adam Baldridge in 1685, in the 17th and 18th centuries due to several reasons: it was not far from the maritime routes along which ships returning from the East Indies sailed in transit, their holds overflowing with wealth; it was provided with bays and inlets protected from storms; and finally, it had abundant fruit and was situated in quiet waters. Legendary pirates including William Kidd, Robert Culliford, Olivier Levasseur, Henry Every, Abraham Samuel and Thomas Tew lived in the île aux Forbans, an island located in the bay of Sainte Marie's main town, Ambodifotatra. Many of them would found a family line. Numerous vestiges of this history remain on Nosy Boraha, but at this time the remains have not been yet identified.
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