Also know as St. Mary’s Island or Nosy Boraha, this island off the east coast of Madagascar was a base for pirates on and off between 1691 and 1719. Founded by ex-buccaneer Adam Baldridge, the island lay in an ideal location to intercept ships returning from the East Indies and Muslim vessels on pilgrimage. Visitors included Henry Avery, William Kidd, Oliver Levasseur, and Thomas Tew. A revolt by the Malagasy natives in 1697 drove the pirates away for a few years. The number of pirates had dwindled by 1719 when the last of them died or left the island. Sainte Marie became the basis for the legend of Henry Avery’s pirate kingdom.