Mauritius

Overview

Mauritius is an island situated off the East African coast in the Indian Ocean. The capital city is Port Louis, which is popular for its French colonial architecture. Within it is Blue Penny Museum keeps the nation’s colonial and marine history and its culture.

The Island has beautiful white beaches with coral reefs near the coastline and away from them are sloping lands with sugarcane plantations and forests with various trees like ebony and eucalyptus.

The French conquered the land between 1710 and 1810 where they built a sugar industry and depended on slave labour. The British then took over the island abolishing the slave trade. The people who had settled at Chagos Islands were forced to dispatch to Mauritius in 1966 so that the British would set a military base at Diego Garcia.

Mauritius gained independence on 12th June 1968 and became a republic in 1992.

Pieter Both, the second-highest mountain in Mauritius

The country is a parliamentary republic; the president is elected by the National Assembly to act as an official mouthpiece.

As of 2018, the country had a population of 1.265 million with an area of 2040km2.

The country’s official language is English.

The major religion is Hinduism, which is unique in Africa, followed by Christianity.

The education system is made up of pre-primary level, primary, and seven years of secondary schooling and tertiary levels.

The most popular sport is football.

The country has a mild tropical maritime climate. It has two seasons, from November to April is warm humid summer and June to September is coo dry winter. The major crop in the land is sugarcane.

The national dish is Dholl puri which is yellow cut pea pancake filled with bean curry and sauce.

It is located 500 miles east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The remote regions neighbouring it are Rodrigues Island located 550 miles on the east, Cargados Carajos Shoals located 250 miles on the northeast and Agalega Islands located 580 miles on the north.

History

Mauritius was uninhabited until the Dutch arrived in 1638, followed by the French and then the British. It became independent in 1968.

Food & culture

Dholl puri, curries, rougaille and seafood reflect Indian, Creole, Chinese and French influences.

Wildlife

Conservation work has saved the pink pigeon, Mauritius kestrel and echo parakeet from extinction.

Festivals & events

Thaipusam, Diwali, the Chinese Spring Festival and Maha Shivaratri are all celebrated.

Things to see

Le Morne Brabant, the Seven Coloured Earths of Chamarel, Black River Gorges and the lagoons of the east coast.

Interesting facts

Mauritius was the only known home of the dodo, which became extinct in the late 17th century.

Neighbours

Mauritius has no land borders with other countries.