Mauritius
Official Country Name
Mauritius
Mauritius Overview
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.
Mauritius Economy
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).
Mauritius Location
Mauritius is located in Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Region
Mauritius is located in Africa
Mauritius Population
Mauritius has population of 1,240,827 (July 2006 est.)
Mauritius Climate
Mauritius has tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Mauritius Terrain
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau
Mauritius Natural Resources
arable land, fish
Ethnic Groups in Mauritius
Mauritius has the following ethnic groups - Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
Mauritius Religions
Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other Christian 8.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)
Mauritius Languages
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)
Mauritius Capital
Mauritius capital is Port Louis
Mauritius Currency
Mauritius currency is Mauritian rupee
Map of Mauritius
