earth science

Nosy Be

Nosy Be is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nosy Be rather than just read about it. In short: Nosy Be (Malagasy pronunciation: [nusʲ be]; formerly Nossi-bé and Nosse Be, lit. 'big island') is a volcanic island off the northwest coast of Madagascar. Nosy Be is Madagascar's largest and busiest tourist destination.

Key takeaways

Nosy Be belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nosy Be to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nosy Be from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nosy Be (Malagasy pronunciation: [nusʲ be]; formerly Nossi-bé and Nosse Be, lit. 'big island') is a volcanic island off the northwest coast of Madagascar. Nosy Be is Madagascar's largest and busiest tourist destination. It has an area of 320.02 km2 (123.56 sq mi), and its population was 109,465 according to the provisional results of the 2018 Census. Nosy Be means "big island" in the Malagasy language. The island was called Assada by the French during the early 17th century. Nosy Be has been given several nicknames over the centuries, including "Nosy Manitra" (the scented island).

History The first human inhabitants of Nosy Be were small bands from Antankarana and Zafinofotsy ethnic groups, before the Sakalava people migrated there and became the largest group on the island. These people were joined later by some Comorians, Indians and Antandroy. Nosy Be made its first major appearance in Madagascar's history when King Radama I announced that he intended to conquer the whole west of Madagascar. That plan was eventually achieved in 1837 when the Sakalava Kingdom of Boina came into the possession of Ranavalona I upon the defeat of Queen Tsiomeko's army. The French colonized the island from 1840, founding an outpost named Hell-Ville (from French Admiral de Hell). The 1848 abolition of slavery in the French colonies resulted in a revolt against the French by the Sakalava people, who were extensively involved in the slave trade. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the island was governed by the French as an internal protectorate within the colony of Madagascar. The outpost became an important trade harbor in the Mozambique channel. During the nineteenth century, the French settlers developed cash crop agriculture (mainly sugar cane) and recruited indentured laborers from East Africa. Though it was difficult for the French to control the littoral, they founded a plantation colony in Nosy Be, mainly producing sugar and cash crops. The French used both military force and diplomacy to maintain their position in the island, appointing the former ruler of Nosy Be Binao as the gouverneur principal of the island. During the Russo-Japanese War Nosy Be became a supply station for Russia's Second Pacific Squadron. The main fleet led by Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky reached Nosy Be on January 9, 1905, where it met a smaller detachment led by Admiral Dmitry von Fölkersam that had arrived already on December 28, 1904. The fleet stayed for two months for refurbishing and coaling, leaving on March 17 to meet its fate ten weeks later at the Battle of Tsushima. In 2013, two French tourists and one local were lynched (beaten and burned by a mob) after rumors that they were responsible for the death of a local boy. A Madagascar court gave four men the maximum hard labour for life over the mob lynching.

Geography

Nosy Be is located about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the coast of Madagascar in the Mozambique Channel; several smaller islands are located nearby, including Nosy Komba, Nosy Mitsio, Nosy Sakatia, and Nosy Tanikely. The island's main town is Andoany, commonly known as Hell-Ville. The volcanic island has an area of about 312 km2 (120 sq mi) – 30 km long, 19 km wide – and its highest peak is Mont Lokobe at 450 m (1,480 ft); the volcano is of Pleistocene origin and has not erupted in recent history. There are eleven volcanic crater lakes on the island.

Climate Nosy Be has a tropical savanna climate. It is most humid in summer (December, January, February). The Tsaratanana massif partially protects the island from the strong north-east winds affecting the region in August or during tropical depressions. The wet season lasts from October until the beginning of May, followed by a relatively short dry season that lasts through September. As characteristic of its climate however, it still sees moderate amounts of precipitation even during this time. Daytime temperatures remain fairly steady throughout the year, hovering around 30 °C (86 °F), while the nights are slightly cooler during the dry season.

Flora and fauna The island is known for having populations of the world's smallest frogs (Stumpffia pygmaea) and chameleon (Brookesia minima). The Lokobe Reserve is one of Madagascar's five Strict Nature Reserves (Réserves Naturelles Intégrales). Nosy Be is also home to a specific color of panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis).

Nocturnal animals include lemurs (mouse and dwarf), chameleons (e.g. short nosed, and stump tailed), leaf-tailed geckos, frogs, and birds. Recent studies indicate that adjacent waters around the channel between Nosy Be and Madagascar host a habitat for a notable number of Omura's whale, enabling researchers to conduct field studies of this rare species. Coral reefs around Nosy Be are impacted by urbanization, the discharge of the sugar industry, and unregulated tourism.

Administration The island constitutes a department within Diana Region and is organized as the City of Nosy Be (Commune Urbaine de Nosy Be). Its mayor is Mr. Vita Zarga.

Economy Once a major location of sugar cane plantations and production of its derived products (sugar, rum), the island's main activities are now the plantation of ylang-ylang (for the production of essential oils) and tourism. Nosy Be is the most developed tourism destination in Madagascar. This is the only place in Madagascar where all-inclusive large resorts can be found. There are no traffic lights on the island, instead roundabouts are used.

Transportation

The island is served by Fascene Airport. The airport is served by commercial flights with Air Madagascar, Air Austral, Airlink, Ewa, Ethiopian Airlines, and has direct flights from Europe on Neos. Its main city and harbour, Hell-Ville, can be reached by boat from Ankify. On the island, travel via tuk-tuk, scooters, and boats is common alongside cars.

Education

French international schools:

École primaire française Lamartine Local public schools:

EPP Andavakotoko EPP Galliéni EPP boulevard Manceaut (?) CEG Ambalakatakata Lycée mixte of Nosy Be

Twin towns—sister cities

Nosy Be is twinned with:

Naples, Italy

See also List of volcanoes in Madagascar

References

External links

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nosy Be

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nosy Be claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nosy Be before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nosy Be ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nosy Be

In research: Nosy Be appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nosy Be in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nosy Be is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cities in Madagascar, Districts of Diana Region, Islands of Madagascar, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nosy Be outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nosy Be in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nosy Be means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nosy Be out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nosy Be in simple terms?

Why does Nosy Be matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nosy Be?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nosy Be.