Pirates & Shipwrecks · Pirate haven, 1690s
Île Sainte-Marie
Madagascar
What happened
Ile Sainte-Marie, called Nosy Boraha in Malagasy, is an island off the northeast coast of Madagascar. Its location near the sea route to the East Indies made it a haven for pirates between the 17th and 18th centuries. The pirate era there began with Adam Baldridge in 1691.
Why it matters
It was one of the most important pirate havens in the Indian Ocean. A map from 1733 refers to it simply as the island of pirates.
What came next
In 1750 the Betsimisaraka ruler Bety ceded the island to France. French rule ended in 1960. Today visitors come for its beaches and for whale watching, as humpback whales pass through the channel.
Did you know?
A pirate cemetery on the island can still be visited, but the people buried there have never been identified.
Timeline
- 1691Adam Baldridge begins the pirate era on the island.
- 1733A map calls it the island of pirates.
- 1750The Betsimisaraka ruler cedes the island to France.
- 1960French rule ends.