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Mauritius

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Countries;
Countries

   SOS Children works in Mauritius. For more information see SOS Children
   in Mauritius, Africa
                Republic of Mauritius

   Flag of Mauritius Coat of arms of Mauritius
   Flag              Coat of arms
   Motto: "Stella Clavisque Maris Indici"  (Latin)
   "Star and Key of the Indian Ocean"
   Anthem: Motherland
   Location of Mauritius
   Capital
   (and largest city)    Port Louis
                         20°10′S 57°31′E
    Official languages   English
   Government            Republic
    - President          Anerood Jugnauth
    - Prime Minister     Navinchandra Ramgoolam
       Independence      from the United Kingdom
    - Date               March 12, 1968
    - Republic           March 12, 1992
                         Area
    - Total              2,040 km² ( 179th)
                         787 sq mi
    - Water (%)          0.05
                      Population
    - July 2005 estimate 1,145,000 ( 153rd)
    - Density            603/km² ( 17th)
                         1,564/sq mi
        GDP ( PPP)       2006 estimate
    - Total              $17.08 billion ( 115th)
    - Per capita         $13,703 ( 51st)
        HDI  (2004)      0.800 (High) ( 63rd)
         Currency        Mauritian rupee ( MUR)
         Time zone       MUT ( UTC+4)
    - Summer ( DST)      not observed ( UTC+4)
       Internet TLD      .mu
       Calling code      +230

   Mauritius (pronounced: IPA: [məˈɹɪʃəs]; French: Maurice /mɔʀis/;
   Mauritian Creole: Moris; Officially the Republic of Mauritius (French:
   République de Maurice), is an island nation off the coast of Africa in
   the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometers (560  mi) east of
   Madagascar and about 3,943 kilometers (2,450 mi) southwest of India. In
   addition to the island of Mauritius, the republic includes the islands
   of St. Brandon, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands. Mauritius is part of
   the Mascarene Islands, with the French island of Réunion 200 kilometers
   (125 mi) to the southwest. The flag of Mauritius has red, blue, yellow
   and green stripes. The red stripe represents the struggle for
   independence. The blue stripe represents the ocean around the island.
   The yellow stripe represents the sun and golden light of independence.
   The green stripe represents fruitful soil and vegetation.

History

   Some historians believe that the Phoenicians visited Mauritius as early
   as 2000 BC. While Arab and Malay sailors knew of Mauritius as early as
   the 10th century and Portuguese sailors first visited it in 1505, the
   island remained uninhabited until 1638 when it was colonized by the
   Dutch. They named the island in honour of Prince Maurice of Nassau.
   Because of climate changes, cyclones and the deterioration of the
   settlement, the Dutch abandoned the island some decades later. The
   French controlled the island during the 18th century and named it Ile
   de France (Isle of France). Despite winning the famous Battle of
   Grand-Port, Napoleon's only naval win over the British, the French were
   defeated by the British in the north of the island, at Cap Malheureux
   (Cape of the Unlucky Ones) three months later, and thus lost possession
   to the British in 1810. The latter reverted the island to its former
   name.

   In 1965, the United Kingdom split out the Chagos Archipelago from
   Mauritius to create the British Indian Ocean Territory, in order to
   utilise the strategic islands for defence purposes in cooperation with
   the United States. Although the Government of Mauritius agreed to the
   move at the time, subsequent administrations have laid claim to the
   islands stating that the divestment was illegal under international law
   - a claim recognised by the United Nations.
   A postcard of Mauritius, Port Louis: Theatre, c.1900-1910
   Enlarge
   A postcard of Mauritius, Port Louis: Theatre, c.1900-1910

   Independence was attained in 1968, with the country becoming a republic
   within the Commonwealth in 1992. Mauritius has been a stable democracy
   with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, and has
   attracted considerable foreign investment earning one of Africa's
   highest per capita incomes.

   Mauritius aims to become the business hub of the Indian Ocean. New
   business opportunities in banking and the technology sector are being
   actively sought.

   Through the celebration of the Bicentenary of the Battle of Grand Port
   in 2010, Mauritius is aiming at rebuilding its maritime heritage and
   reclaiming its title of the Star & the Key of the Indian Ocean.

Politics

   The head of state of Mauritius is the President, who is elected for a
   five-year term by the National Assembly, the unicameral Mauritian
   parliament. The National Assembly consists of 62 members elected
   directly by popular vote, with between 4 and 8 further members
   appointed from "best losers" election candidates to represent ethnic
   minorities, depending on the results of the election. The government is
   headed by the prime minister and a council of ministers.

   The most recent general elections took place on the 3 July 2005 in all
   the 20 mainland constituencies, as well as the constituency covering
   the island of Rodrigues.

   Historically, elections have always adhered to a two-party system in
   Mauritius and this has also been the case this time, with the outgoing
   MSM/MMM/PMSD coalition against the PTr-led Alliance Sociale which
   includes PMXD, Les Verts, MR, MSD and MMSM.

   The Alliance Sociale coalition won 38 seats and will form the next
   government with PTr leader Navinchandra Ramgoolam as Prime Minister.
   The MSM/MMM/PMSD coalition won 22 seats and will form the opposition.
   The 2 remaining seats for Rodrigues were won by OPR candidates.
   According to the Constitution, an additional eight seats were allocated
   to "best losers" to guarantee equitable representation of all ethnic
   groups. This brought the total representation to 42 Alliance Sociale,
   24 MSM/MMM/PMSD, and 4 OPR.

   In international affairs, Mauritius is part of the Indian Ocean
   Commission.

   In 2006, Mauritius asked to be an observing member of Commonwealth of
   the Portuguese Speaking Countries in order to become closer to those
   countries.

Administrative divisions

   Districts of Mauritius

   The island of Mauritius itself is divided into nine districts:
    1. Black River
    2. Flacq
    3. Grand Port
    4. Moka
    5. Pamplemousses
    6. Plaines Wilhems
    7. Port Louis
    8. Rivière du Rempart
    9. Savanne

   Dependencies of Mauritius:
     * Rodrigues, a populated island which used to be Mauritius's 10th
       district is now autonomous
     * Agalega (two small islands about 933 kilometers (580 mi) north of
       Mauritius)
     * Cargados Carajos Shoals also known as the Saint Brandon islands
       (about 402 kilometers (250 mi) north of Mauritius)

   Note: Mauritius also claims the following islands:
   Satellite map of Mauritius
   Enlarge
   Satellite map of Mauritius

   In French possession:
     * Tromelin Island

   In British possession:
     * Chagos Archipelago

   Other Mauritian territories:
     * Soudan Banks (including East Soudan Bank)
     * Nazareth Bank
     * Saya de Malha Bank

Geography

   Map of Mauritius
   Enlarge
   Map of Mauritius

   Together with Réunion and Rodrigues, Mauritius is part of the Mascarene
   Islands. This archipelago was formed in a series of undersea volcanic
   eruptions, as the African plate drifted over the Réunion hotspot.
   Mauritius and Rodrigues were formed 8-10 million years ago. They are no
   longer volcanically active, and the hotspot now rests under Réunion.
   The island of Mauritius itself is formed around a central plateau, with
   its highest peak in the southwest, Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire at
   828 metres (2,717  ft). Around the plateau, the original crater can
   still be distinguished from several mountains.

   The local climate is tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; there
   is a warm, dry winter from May to November and a hot, wet, and humid
   summer from November to May. Cyclones affect the country during
   November-April.

   The island's capital and largest city is Port Louis, in the northwest.
   Other important towns are Curepipe, Vacoas, Phoenix, Quatre Bornes,
   Rose-Hill and Beau-Bassin.

   The island is well known for its exceptional natural beauty; "You
   gather the idea that Mauritius was made first and then heaven, and that
   heaven was copied after Mauritius", as Mark Twain noted in Following
   the Equator.

Economy

   Port Louis, capital of Mauritius.
   Enlarge
   Port Louis, capital of Mauritius.
   Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, north of Port Louis.
   Enlarge
   Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, north of Port Louis.

   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 of the order of 5% to 6%. This has
   been reflected in increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality
   and a much improved infrastructure.

   Estimated at $16.28 billion for 2005, Mauritius has the 2nd highest GDP
   per capita in the whole of Africa. It is only exceeded by Equatorial
   Guinea, which derives most of its revenue from oil exports. Mauritius
   on the other hand is a very mature economy with a great deal of wealth
   distribution among its citizens. The economy is mainly dependent on
   sugarcane plantations, tourism, textiles, and services, but other
   sectors are rapidly developing as well.

   Sugar cane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and
   accounts for 25% of export earnings. However, a record-setting drought
   severely damaged the sugar crop in 1999. The government's development
   strategy centres on foreign investment. Mauritius has attracted more
   than 9,000 offshore entities; many aimed at commerce in India and South
   Africa while investment in the banking sector alone has reached over
   USD 1 billion. Economic performance during the period from 2000 through
   2004 combined strong economic growth with unemployment at 7.6% in
   December 2004. France is the country's biggest trading partner, and has
   close ties with the country. They also provide technical assistance in
   various forms.

Financial services

   Mauritius provides an environment for banks, insurance and reinsurance
   companies, captive insurance managers, trading companies, ship owners
   or managers, fund managers and professionals to conduct their
   international business. The economic success achieved in the 1980s
   engendered the rapid growth of the financial services sector in
   Mauritius. The following types of offshore activities can be conducted
   in Mauritius:
     * Offshore Banking
     * Offshore Insurance
     * Offshore Funds Management
     * International Financial Services
     * Operational Headquarters
     * International Consultancy Services
     * Shipping and Ship Management
     * Aircraft Financing and Leasing
     * International Licensing and Franchising
     * International Data Processing and Information Technology Services
     * Offshore Pension Funds
     * International Trading
     * International Assets Management
     * International Assets Management
     * International Employment Services

   On 4 April 2005 during his budget speech , Hon. Pravind Jugnauth,
   Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development
   announced that Mauritius will become a duty-free island and that will
   take about four years. Duty has been decreased (and for many products
   completely eliminated) for more than 1850 products including clothing,
   food, jewelry, photographic equipment, audio visual equipment and
   lighting equipment.

   The main motivations are (1) Attract more tourists going to Singapore
   and Dubai, and, (2) Give all Mauritians easier access to quality
   products at affordable prices.

   A plan by ADB Networks calls for Mauritius to become the first nation
   to have coast-to-coast wireless internet access. The wireless hot spot
   currently covers about 60% of the island and is accessible by about 70%
   of its population. By the end of 2006, antennas should provide access
   to 90% of the island.

   Its biggest trading partners are France and the UK.

   Mauritius ranks first in respect of FDI inflows to India amongst all
   the countries with cumulative inflows amounting to US $ 10.98 billion.
   Top sectors attracting FDI inflows from Mauritius (from January 2000 to
   December, 2005) are electrical equipment, telecommunications, fuels,
   cement & gypsum products and services sector (financial &
   non-financial).

Demographics

   A beach from Mauritius.
   Enlarge
   A beach from Mauritius.

   Mauritian society is highly multicultural. Island residents are the
   descendants of people from the Indian subcontinent, continental Africa,
   Madagascar, France, England, China plus a few other places. The
   official language of Mauritius is English. French dominates the media
   and business, radio and television, despite France having lost its
   colonial dominion over the island nearly 200 years ago. The
   French-derived Mauritian Creole, with influences from the other
   dialects, is widely spoken (80%) on the island and is considered the
   lingua franca of the country. French and French creole is used in
   everyday life. Several other languages, including Arabic, Portuguese,
   Indian languages such as Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi,
   Bhojpuri, Gujarati or dialects of Chinese like Cantonese, Hakka and
   Mandarin are also spoken.

   The latter South Asian languages are spoken by descendants of the
   labourers brought from British India during the British rule. The
   Indo-Mauritians (when the ethnic groups are combined) form
   approximately 70% of the total population, while the rest of the
   population is of either African, French, Chinese, or mixed descent.
   There are approximately 30,000 Mauritians of Chinese descent, from
   Hakka, Mandarin and Cantonese language groups. More than 90% of the
   Sino-Mauritian community adhere to the Roman Catholic faith.

   Of all religiously affiliated Mauritians, Hindus constitute 52%, while
   the remainder is composed mostly of Christians (28%) and Muslims
   (16.6%). Buddhists (2.5%), Sikhs (0.3%) and other religions are also
   followed.

Culture

   Mauritius was the only known habitat of the extinct Dodo bird.
   Enlarge
   Mauritius was the only known habitat of the extinct Dodo bird.

   The mixed colonial past of Mauritius is reflected in its culture. For
   example, the cuisine of Mauritius is a blend of Indian Cuisine, Creole,
   Chinese and European. It is not uncommon for a combination of cuisines
   to form part of the same meal. The "cari poule" or chicken curry, for
   example, is a very popular dish and eaten by all sections of the
   community. Mauritian Cuisine is a great leveller and brings together
   all sections of the community. Famous chefs on Mauritian Cuisine come
   from varied cultural backgrounds. Among the best known for traditional
   Mauritian Cuisine are Guy Felix, Lalita Sookhee, Philippe Lenoir,
   Raymond de Ravel, Madeleine Philippe and Zubeida Randera. Madeleine
   Philippe is well known for her promotion of Mauritian Cuisine on the
   Internet. Most restaurants are owned by the Sino-Mauritian community,
   thus it is not surprising that well-known 'chinese' dishes have become
   Mauritian favourites. The "mine-frit" (Mauritian fried noodles) and
   "niouk nien" (dumplings) are loved by all and readily bought by the
   Mauritian community either in restaurants or on the sidewalks of main
   streets. Moreover, since the food stalls by the streets are mainly
   owned by the Muslim and Indo-Mauritian communities, the 'Alouda' (a
   milky drink with basil seeds) has become a typical mauritian drink and
   the 'dholl puri' is the favourite of all communities.

   In 1847, Mauritius became the fifth country in the world to issue
   postage stamps. The two types of stamps issued then, known as the Red
   Penny and the Blue Penny are probably the most famous stamps in the
   world, being very rare and therefore also very expensive.

   When discovered, the island of Mauritius was home to a previously
   unknown species of bird, which the Portuguese named the dodo
   (simpleton), as they appeared not too bright. However, by 1681, all
   dodos had been killed by settlers or their domesticated animals.
   Nevertheless, the dodo is prominently featured as a supporter of the
   national coat-of-arms (see above).

   Mauritius has from time to time also been chosen as setting for films,
   most of which are Bollywood productions from India. The latest Hindi
   film to feature Mauritius has been Garam Masala (2005).

Images of Mauritius

   Caudan Waterfront, Port Louis

   Port Louis harbour

   Grand Bassin Temple

   Black River Gorges National Park

   Varangue Sur Morne, a famous hilltop restaurant

   Mountain view from Champagne in the Southwest

   Seven coloured natural earth in Chamarel

   Chamarel Falls

   Volcanic peak near Flic-en-Flac, South-west of Port Louis

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