Mago Island

During the 1860s, a cotton plantation established by the Ryder brothers of Australia flourished there. In 1884 there was a well-established sugar cane plantation plus a sugar mill on the island.^[1] The Mill was shut down in 1895 and it was dismantled and used to enlarge the Penang Mill in Ra.^[2] The Ryders were succeeded by the Borron family.

In early 2005 Mago Island was purchased by Hollywood actor/director Mel Gibson for $15 million from Japan's Tokyu Corporation.^[3] Descendants of original native inhabitants of Mago, who were displaced in the 1860s, have protested against Gibson's purchase.^[3]

Satellite images of the island dating from 2008 show a dirt airstrip of 1,100 metres (3,600 ft). There is no port on the island; a short stone pier is located on the island's north side. There is only one loosely arranged village on the island whose appearance is more indicative of a resort. Agriculture consists of only a few small areas of fields.

An episode of the NBC sitcom 30 Rock titled "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning" (Season 5, Episode 12) featured a story about a disaster on the island. Jack Donaghy, played by Alec Baldwin, decides to air a pre-recorded telethon to benefit the victims of the disaster. However, Donaghy is shocked to learn the only "victims" of the disaster are Mel Gibson and his guest, Jon Gosselin.