this ecoregion covers the three main islands, réunion, mauritius, and rodrigues, and a number of smaller islets of the mascarene islands. the largest islands are the french dependent territory of réunion (2,500 km2), and the island of mauritius (1,900 km2), which together with rodrigues (110 km2) forms the single independent nation of mauritius. the nearest landmass is madagascar, 680 km northwest of réunion.