colony · Central and Southern Africa

Nosy Be

1841 CE – 1896 CE · capital Hell-Ville

An island off northwest Madagascar placed under French protection in 1841, an early base for France's later conquest of Madagascar.

Origins

Sakalava rulers of Boina, retreating before the Merina Kingdom, took refuge on Nosy Be and neighbouring islands. Their queen, Tsiomeko, sought French protection, and in 1841 the island was ceded to France through Admiral de Hell, governor of Bourbon, after whom its main town, Hell-Ville, was named.

Rule and society

French administrators developed sugar cane plantations, using Malagasy, Comoran and later contract labourers, and the island became a trading centre for northwest Madagascar. It was governed as a small dependency, at times jointly with Mayotte, and offered France a strategic claim to the Malagasy coast.

Decline and legacy

After the conquest of Madagascar, Nosy Be was merged in 1896 into the new colony of French Madagascar. It later became known for ylang-ylang essential oil, vanilla and tourism.

Lineage

Nosy BeFrench Madagascar 1897 CE – 1958 CE

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Nosy Be. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nosy-be
MLA
“Nosy Be.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nosy-be. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Nosy Be.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nosy-be.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Nosy Be’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nosy-be (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻