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诺西贝岛
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Nosy Be is a charming tropical island, covered with palm trees and bougainvillea, and is Madagascar's leading tourist destination. It boasts breathtaking beaches, lush vegetation, friendly people and a relaxed atmosphere.
It is the largest of Madagascar's islands and lies off its northwest coast in an area with a particularly pleasant climate, characterised by a rainy season and a dry season, and enjoys many more sunny days than the eastern region of the country.
It is often called Nosy Manitra (the "Scented Island"), because - like nearby Comoros - it is a producer of a precious essential oil extracted from the flowers of the ylang-ylang tree, which is exported to the West for use in the perfume industry. Other local crops include sugarcane, coffee, vanilla, pepper, saffron and other spices.
The first inhabitants of Nosy Be were probably Swahili and Indian merchants who reached the island in the fifteenth century. Much later, an Indian ship was wrecked and its crew founded the first true settlement, five kilometres east of the modern capital. From this moment onwards Nosy Be began to attract refugees, merchants and colonisers of all nationalities.
The island's capital and main port is Hell-Ville and is built on its south-eastern tip. It is Nosy Be's only large town, and is home to around two thirds of its 30,000 inhabitants. The town is named after the French admiral de Hell, who was the island's governor. Its official Malagasy name is Andoany, but it is rarely used, even by the local people.
The most interesting area is undoubtedly the old town near the port, which is home to several colonial buildings, including the old prison, built in 1855.
The Musée de Nosy Be is also worth a mention and displays exhibits that belonged to the local Sakalava and Antankarana tribes.
The daily market in the capital offers an excellent opportunity to buy spices at reasonable prices.
The most renowned beaches are located ten kilometres west of the capital, while the southwest tip of the island is home to the Lokobe Strict Nature Reserve (Réserve Naturelle Intégrale de Lokobe). |
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