Mauritius is located in Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.
Land in Mauritius is small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau.
Mauritian land covers an area of 2040 square kilometers which is almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC
As for the Mauritian climate; tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May).
Mauritian(s) speak 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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Agalega Islands Black River Cargados Carajos Flacq Grand Port Mauritius (general) Moka | Pamplemousses Plaines Wilhems Port Louis Rivière du Rempart Rodrigues Savanne |
Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in 1505; it was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence 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 and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.
Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on expanding local financial institutions and building a domestic information telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Mauritian natural resources include arable land, fish
the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs
Mauritian religion is Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census).
Natural hazards in Mauritius include cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards.