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Mauritius
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{{Infobox_Country
|native_name =Republic of Mauritius
|common_name = Mauritius
|image_flag =Flag of Mauritius.svg
|image_coat =Coat of arms of Mauritius.png
|image_map =LocationMauritius.png
|national_motto =Stella Clavisque Maris Indici
(
Latin: Star and Key of the Indian Ocean)
|national_anthem = ''
Motherland (anthem) Motherland''
|official_languages =
English language English;
French language French De facto:
Mauritian Creole French Creole
|capital =
Port Louis
|latd=20 |latm=10 |latNS=S |longd=57 |longm=31 |longEW=E
|largest_city =
Port Louis
|government_type =
parliamentary democracy
|leader_titles =
List of Presidents of Mauritius PresidentList of Prime Ministers of Mauritius Prime Minister
|leader_names =Sir
Anerood JugnauthDr
Navinchandra Ramgoolam
|area_rank =169th
|area_magnitude =1 E9
|area=2,040
|areami²= 787
|percent_water =0.05
|population_estimate =1,230,602
|population_estimate_rank = 155th
|population_estimate_year =July 2005
|population_census =
|population_census_year =
|population_density =603
|population_densitymi² = 1,564
|population_density_rank =11th
|GDP_PPP =$16.36 billion
|GDP_PPP_rank =123rd
|GDP_PPP_year=2005
|GDP_PPP_per_capita =$13,300
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =70th
|sovereignty_type =
Independence
|established_events = From the
United Kingdom UK
|established_dates =
March 12,
1968
|HDI =0.791
|HDI_rank =65th
|HDI_year =2003
|HDI_category =
medium
|currency =
Mauritian Rupee
|currency_code = MUR
|country_code =
|time_zone =
|utc_offset =+4
|time_zone_DST =
|utc_offset_DST =
|cctld =
.mu
|calling_code = 230
|footnotes =
}}
The '''Republic of Mauritius'''
IPA {{IPA|/mɔɹˈɪʃəs/}} is an
island nation in the southwest
Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres (560
mile 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
Cargados Carajos St. Brandon,
Rodrigues (island) Rodrigues and the
Agalega Islands. Mauritius is part of the
Mascarene Islands, with the
France French island of
Réunion 200 kilometers (125 mi) to the southwest.
History
''Main article:
History of Mauritius''
While
Arab and
Malaysia Malay sailors knew of Mauritius as early as the 10th century and
Portugal Portuguese sailors first visited it in 1505, the island remained uninhabited until 1638 when it was colonized by the
Netherlands Dutch. They named the island in honour of Prince
Maurice of Nassau. Due to climate changes, cyclones and the deterioration of the settlement, the Dutch abandoned the island some decades later. The
France French controlled the island during the 18th century and named it ''Ile de France'' (French Island). Despite winning the famous Battle of
Grand Port Grand-Port, the French were defeated by the British in the north of the island, at Cap Malheureux, a month later, and thus lost possession to the
United Kingdom British in 1810 and the latter reverted the island to its former name.
In 1965, the United Kingdom split out the
Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius[http://www.tazaf.com] 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.
Image:Port Louis Mauritius Theatre.jpg thumb|left|A postcard of Mauritius, Port Louis: Theatre, c.1900-1910
Independence was attained in 1968, with the country becoming a
republic within the
Commonwealth of Nations 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.
Politics
''Main article:
Politics of Mauritius''
The
head of state of Mauritius [http://www.tazaf.com] is the
President of Mauritius 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 (island) Rodrigues. {{Mauritius legislative election, 2005}}
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.
Districts and dependencies
Image:Maurice-plage.jpg thumb|Mauritius
''Main article:
Districts and dependencies of Mauritius''
The island of Mauritius itself is divided into 9
districts:
1.
Black River District, Mauritius Black River
2.
Flacq
3.
Grand Port
4.
Moka District Moka
5.
Pamplemousses
6.
Plaines Wilhems
7.
Port Louis District Port Louis
8.
Rivière du Rempart
9.
Savanne
Image:Mauritius_districts_numbered.png Thumb|Districts of Mauritius
Dependencies of Mauritius
*
Rodrigues (island) 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 (about 402 kilometers (250 mi) north of Mauritius)
*
Chagos Archipelago
*
Tromelin Island
Note: Mauritius also claims the following French-owned islands:
*
Bassas da India
*
Europa Island
*
Glorioso Islands
*
Juan de Nova Island
Other Mauritian Territories
*
Soudan Banks (including East Soudan Bank)
*
Nazareth Bank
*
Saya de Malha Bank
Geography
Image:Satellite image of Mauritius in February 2003.jpg thumb|Satellite map of Mauritius
Image:ExtinctDodoBird.jpeg Dodo.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|Mauritius is the only known habitat of the extinct [[Dodo bird.html" title="Meaning of Mauritius is the only known habitat of the extinct [[Dodo">thumb|Mauritius is the only known habitat of the extinct [[Dodo bird">Mauritius is the only known habitat of the extinct [[Dodo">thumb|Mauritius is the only known habitat of the extinct [[Dodo bird
Image:Mp-map.gif thumb|300px|Map of Mauritius
''Main article:
Geography of Mauritius''
Together with
Réunion and Rodrigues, Mauritius is part of the
Mascarene Islands. This
archipelago was formed in a series of undersea
volcano 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
foot (unit of length) 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, Mauritius Port Louis, in the northwest. Other important towns are
Curepipe,
Vacoas,
Phoenix, Mauritius 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 Following the Equator''.
Image:Pamplemousses.jpg thumb|Mauritius
Economy
''Main article:
Economy of Mauritius''
Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income,
agriculture agriculturally based economy to a middle income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and
tourism tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been of the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality and a much improved
infrastructure.
Estimated at $13,300, 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.
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.
On the 4th of April 2005 during his [http://mof.gov.mu/budget/20052006/speech.htm 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 4 years. Duty has been decreased (and for many products completely eliminated) for more than 1850 products including clothing, food, jewellery, photographic equipment, audio visual equipment, lighting equipment etc.
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
Wi-Fi wireless internet access. The wireless hot spot currently covers about 60% of the island and is accessible by about 70% of its population. By year's end antennas should provide access to 90% of the island.
The biggest trading partners are France and UK .
Demographics
''Main article:
Demographics of Mauritius''
''Mauritius'' is probably the most multicultural island in the Indian Ocean. They are the descendants of people from the
South Asia Indian subcontinent,
Africa,
Madagascar,
France,
England,
China plus a few other places.
The official languages of Mauritius are
English language English and
French language French. French is still widely spoken despite France having lost its colonial dominion over the island nearly 200 years ago. A French-derived
Mauritian Creole Creole language, with major influences from the other dialects, is widely spoken (80%) on the island and is considered the
lingua franca of the country. Several other languages, including
Arabic language Arabic, Desi languages such as
Urdu,
Hindi,
Tamil language Tamil,
Telugu language Telugu,
Marathi,
Bhojpuri,
Gujarati language Gujarati or
East Asian like
Cantonese (linguistics) Cantonese,
Hakka and
Mandarin (linguistics) 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 are of either
African, French,
ethnic Chinese 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
Christianity Christians (28%) and
Islam Muslims (16.6%). Buddhists (2.5%), Sikhs (0.3%) and other religions are also followed.
More information can be found at this link http://www.gesource.ac.uk/worldguide/html/956_people.html
Culture
''Main article:
Culture of Mauritius''
The mixed colonial past of Mauritius is reflected in its culture. For example, the
cuisine of Mauritius is a blend of
Desi,
Creole cuisine Creole,
China Chinese and
European Cuisine European.
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 (India) productions. The latest Hindi film to feature Mauritius has been
Garam Masala (2005).
*
Music of Mauritius
Miscellaneous topics
*
University of Technology, Mauritius
*
Education in Mauritius
*
List of Mauritians List of notable Mauritians
*
Communications in Mauritius
*
Transportation in Mauritius
*
Military of Mauritius
*
Foreign relations of Mauritius
*
Tertiary education in Mauritius
*
Hinduism in Mauritius
*
Islam in Mauritius
*
List of Hindi Film Stars who have been to Mauritius
Further reading
* Dodd, Jan and Madeleine Philippe. ''Lonely Planet Mauritius Reunion & Seychelles''. Lonely Planet Publications, 2004. ISBN 1740593014
External links
{{sisterlinks|Mauritius}}
Government
-
Government of Mauritius official government site
-
Central Statistics Office - Official gatherer and provider of statistical information for Mauritius
News
-
allAfrica.com - ''Mauritius'' news headline links
-
Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation - Public TV/Radio Broadcasting
-
Le Matinal (Mauritius) - Newspaper
-
L'Express (Mauritius) - French language newspaper
-
Le Mauricien - French language newspaper
Bank
-
Mauritius Commercial Bank
-
State Bank of Mauritius
Business
-
Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry
-
Enterprise Mauritius
Tourism
*{{wikitravel}}
-
Grand Baie Popular coastal village among tourists
-
Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority official tourism site
Other
-
A Week in Mauritius - A Photo Gallery and Travelogue, by Andy Carvin
-
Video montage of Mauritius
-
University of Mauritius
-
Institute for Environmental Studies
-
Open Directory Project - ''Mauritius'' directory category
* Entry on [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mp.html Mauritius] in the CIA World Factbook
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