| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Africa |
| Geographical Location |
20° 17' South Latitude
57° 33' East Longitude |
| Surface Area |
2,040 sq km |
| Climate |
Tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May) |
| Natural Resources |
Arable land, fish |
|
| Political Information |
 |
|
| Country Name |
Republic of Mauritius |
| Capital City |
Port Louis |
| Government Type |
Parliamentary democracy |
| Administrative Divisions |
9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne |
| Independence Day |
12 March 1968 (from UK) |
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| Demographical Information |
|
|
| Population |
1,230,602 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Mauritian |
| Ethnic Groups |
Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2% |
| Religion |
Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census) |
| Languages |
Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4% (official), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census) |
| Population Growth Rate |
0.84% (2005 est.) |
|
| Economical Information |
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|
| Currency |
Mauritian rupee (MUR) |
| Industries |
Food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery; tourism |
| Labor Force |
560,000 (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture and fishing 14%, construction and industry 36%, transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, finance 3%, other services 24% (1995) |
| Agriculture Products |
Sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish |
| Export Commodities |
Clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses |
| Export Partners |
UK 30.6%, France 22.7%, US 13.7%, Madagascar 7.7% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals |
| Import Partners |
France 13.1%, South Africa 10.8%, India 7.6%, China 5.9%, Germany 4.5%, Singapore 4% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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|
| Railways |
- |
| Highways |
2,000 km |
| Pipelines |
- |
| Airports |
6 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Port Louis |
|
| Communication |
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|
| Phone Code |
+230 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.mu |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius 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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