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Description Mauritius by rbd.me
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Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in the 16th century and subsequently settled by the Dutch - who named it in honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU - in the 17th century. The French assumed control in 1715, developing the island into an important naval base overseeing Indian Ocean trade, and establishing a plantation economy of sugar cane. The British captured the island in 1810, during the Napoleonic Wars. Mauritius remained a strategically important British naval base, and later an air station, playing an important role during World War II for anti-submarine and convoy operations, as well as the collection of signals intelligence. Independence from the UK was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather, declining sugar prices, and declining textile and apparel production, have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.
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Location
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Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
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Area - comparative
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almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC
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Natural resources Mauritius
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tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
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Population Mauritius
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water pollution, degradation of coral reefs
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Religions Mauritius
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fewer than 100 (2001 est.)
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Languages
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Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
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Education Mauritius expenditures
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Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other Christian 8.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)
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Government Mauritius type
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Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)
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Independence
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parliamentary democracy
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Mauritius Economy - overview
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four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green; red represents the blood shed for independence, blue the Indian Ocean surrounding the island, yellow has been interpreted as the new light of independence, golden sunshine, or the bright future, and green can symbolize either agriculture or the lush vegetation of the island
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Investment Mauritius
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39 (2006 est.)
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Industries Mauritius
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$3.443 billion (31 December 2008)
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Airports Mauritius
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2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)
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