The island of Mauritius is situated in the south-western Indian Ocean between 19°591, 20°321 south latitude and 57°18 1 , 57° 49 1 east longitude. The nearest landmass of any considerable extent is Madagascar which Iies some 900 km due west of Mauritius; but there are a number of islands and islets in the vicinity, notably Reunion, Rodrigues and the Cargados Carajos, which together with Mauritius constitute the archipelago of the Mascarenes.