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World > Africa > Mauritius
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Mauritius |
Introduction:
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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 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.
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| Official name: |
Republic of Mauritius |
| Capital: |
name: Port Louis
geographic coordinates: 20 09 S, 57 29 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Government type: |
parliamentary democracy |
| Population: |
1,250,882 (July 2007 est.) |
| 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) |
| Official Currency: |
Mauritius Rupee (MUR) |
| Currency code: |
MUR |
| Area: |
total: 2,040 sq km
land: 2,030 sq km
water: 10 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues |
| Climate: |
tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May) |
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Map of Mauritius
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