evidence: The Glorieuses lie north of Madagaskar and is made up of Grande Glorieuse, Île du Lys and eight rock islets—together they form a coral reef and a lagoon. In 1880 Frenchman Hippolyte Caltaux settled and started a coconut plantation on the largest island, Grande Glorieuse. In the late 19th century the islands were officially claimed by the French and became part of the colony of Mayotte, an insular department of France in the Indian Ocean. The Comores and Madagaskar both claim the islands but the French reinstated their claim when the France–Seychelles Maritime Boundary Agreement was drawn in 2001. Fifteen soldiers are stationed on the islands to ensure the sovereignty of France.