Geography

Area: 2,040 sq. km. (787 sq. mi.); 500 miles east of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean.
Dependencies: Rodrigues Island, the Agalega Islands and Cargados Carajos Shoals; Mauritius also claims sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, where U.S. Naval Support Facility at Diego Garcia is located.
Cities: Capital--Port Louis (pop. 148,638). Other cities--Beau Bassin and Rose Hill (110,687), Vacoas-Phoenix (108,186), Curepipe (84,487), Quatre Bornes (81,773).
Terrain: Volcanic island surrounded by coral reefs. A central plateau is rimmed by mountains.
Climate: Tropical; cyclone season mid-December-April.

People

Nationality: Noun and adjective--Mauritian(s).
Population (2010 est.): 1,283,415, including Rodrigues, Agalega, and St. Brandon. Density--629/sq. km.
Avg. annual population growth (2010): 0.4%.
Ethnic groups: Indo-Mauritians 68%, Creoles 27%, Sino-Mauritians 3%, Franco-Mauritians 2%.
Religions: Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other Christian 8.6%, other 2.5%.
Languages: Creole (common), French, English (official), Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri.
Education: Years compulsory--11 (primary school). Attendance (primary school)--virtually universal. Literacy--adult population 84.4%; school population 90%.
Health (2009 est.): Infant mortality rate--12.2/1,000. Life expectancy--male 70.53 years, female 77.65 years.
Work force (2010 est., 581,300): Construction and industry--26%; trade and tourism--20%; agriculture and fishing--8%; communication--7%; finance--6%; other--33%.

Government

Type: Republic.
Independence: March 12, 1968 (became a republic in 1992).
Constitution: March 12, 1968.
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime minister (head of government), Council of Ministers. Legislative--unicameral National Assembly. Judicial--Supreme Court.
Administrative subdivisions: 10.
Major political parties: Mauritius Labor Party (MLP), Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM), and Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD).
Suffrage: Universal over 18.
Defense (2006): 0.3% of GDP.

Economy

GDP (2010 est., official exchange rate): $9.496 billion.
Real growth rate (2010 est.): 4.2%.
Per capita income (2010 est., purchasing power parity): $13,670.
Avg. inflation rate (2010 est.): 2.9%.
Natural resources: None.
Agriculture (3.6% of GDP): Products--sugar, sugar derivatives, tea, tobacco, vegetables, fruits, flowers, cattle, and fishing.
Manufacturing, including export processing zone (18% of GDP): Types--labor-intensive goods for export, including textiles and clothing, watches and clocks, jewelry, optical goods, toys and games, and cut flowers.
Tourism sector (7% of GDP): Main countries of origin--France, including nearby French island Reunion, South Africa, and west European countries.
Financial services: 10% of GDP.
Trade: Exports (2010 est.)--$2.186 billion f.o.b.: textiles and clothing, sugar, canned tuna, molasses, watches and clocks, jewelry, optical goods, travel goods and handbags, toys and games, and flowers. Major markets--Europe and the U.S. Imports (2010 est.)--$4.298 billion f.o.b.: manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals, meat, dairy products, fish, wheat, rice, wheat flour, vegetable oil, iron and steel, cement, fertilizers, and textile industry raw materials. Major suppliers--India, France, South Africa, China, Japan, Australia.
Fiscal year: January 1 - December 31.

Background

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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