Rodrigues is of volcanic origin and is surrounded by coral reef, and some tiny uninhabited islands lie just off its coast.

The island used to be the tenth District of Mauritius; it gained autonomous status on 12 October 2002, and is governed by the Rodrigues Regional Assembly.

The islands of Rodrigues, Agaléga and Saint Brandon form part of the larger territory of the Republic of Mauritius.

However, even in its original state, Rodrigues had some karst, while Mauritius even after suffering 500 years of deforestation can by no means be called "desert" even in a colloquial sense.

In 1691, the Huguenot François Leguat and seven companions landed on the island, intending to set up a farming colony of Protestant refugees.

Governor Roberts having built a reservoir in the hills, above the village, and laid pipes to the jetty, where, at the time of my visit, there were five and a half feet at high tide.

Of fruits, pomegranates were most plentiful; for two shillings I obtained a large sack of them, as many as a donkey could pack from the orchard, which, by the way, was planted by nature herself.

"[9] Early in 1968, HMS Cambrian, which was part of the Beira Patrol following the Unilateral Declaration of Independence of Rhodesia, was diverted to Rodrigues to quell a reported uprising by some of the populace.

The uprising consisted of a number of individuals who had been arrested by the local authorities for breaking into a warehouse and appropriating a supply of sweet potatoes.

On her early morning arrival, the ship's 4.5" guns were fired (with blanks, it is believed) and an armed landing party was provided.

Rodrigues enjoys a mild tropical maritime climate with persistent trade winds blowing throughout the year.

[16] Rodrigues was characterised by endemic plant and animal species in abundance, but since the seventeenth century much of its biodiversity has been eradicated.

The island was home to two now-extinct endemic giant tortoises, a domed species (Cylindraspis peltastes), and a saddle-backed species (C. vosmaeri), and such birds as the Rodrigues solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria), a giant flightless pigeon closely related to the dodo of Mauritius, and the Rodrigues night heron (Nycticorax megacephalus).

[17] Endangered plants on the reserves include Zanthoxylum paniculatum, Polyscias rodriguesiana, Badula balfouriana, and Gouania leguatii.

However, on 20 November 2001, the Mauritius National Assembly unanimously adopted two laws giving Rodrigues its autonomy, creating a decentralised government system.

This new legislation has allowed the implementation of a regional assembly in Rodrigues constituting 18 members and an executive council headed by a Chief Commissioner.

The Chief Commissioner has the main task of informing the Mauritian Prime Minister of the management of the island's concerns.

The main sources of income and economic activity are tourism, fishing, agriculture (especially of onions, garlic and chilli), and animal rearing.

[27] Rodrigues cuisine consists of dishes from local products: fruit, vegetables, seafood (fish, octopus, crab, shrimp, lobster) and meat.

National dishes include sausages with kreolinės, rougaille sauce, octopus with curry, kono-kono (a shellfish) salad and Rodrigues cake.

There is also a public swimming pool at Marechal, a village located in the center of the island, and a stadium at Camp Du Rois in the region of Port Mathurin.

In 2010, plans were developed by Bernard Eric Typhis Degtyarenko for a private museum on the island, centred on the restoration of the yacht Admiral Nevelskoi.

The hull of the yacht, belonging to the Maritime State University in Vladivostok, Russia, had been found drifting off Rodrigues in 1997 and brought ashore.

[28][29] Since 2014, Rodrigues Island has been proactive in environmental conservation, banning plastic bags to safeguard its marine and terrestrial biodiversity.

Building on this success and with positive reception from the community, the island extended its eco-friendly measures by prohibiting single-use polystyrene food containers four years later, garnering global acclaim.

From cleaning hiking paths to restoring islets, these collective efforts upheld Rodrigues' commitment to conservation.

Continuing its ecological journey, Rodrigues Island aims to launch the 'One Tree, One Tourist, and One Child' project in 2023.

Serving as a model for active involvement in environmental protection, this project fosters an enduring ecological mindset among both tourists and locals, ensuring the ongoing conservation of Rodrigues' unique environment for generations to come.