Mauritius

This article is about the independent island nation in the Indian Ocean. For other uses, see Mauritius (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Mauritania.

Republic of Mauritius
Motto: Stella Clavisque Maris Indici (Latin)[1]
"Star and Key of the Indian Ocean"
Anthem: "Motherland"
Islands of the Republic of Mauritius
Islands of the Republic of Mauritius
Islands of the Republic of Mauritius labelled in black; Chagos Archipelago and Tromelin are claimed by Mauritius.
Islands of the Republic of Mauritius labelled in black; Chagos Archipelago and Tromelin are claimed by Mauritius.
Capital
and largest city
Port Louis
20°12′S 57°30′E / 20.2°S 57.5°E / -20.2; 57.5
Official languagesNone (de jure)
(de facto)[2]
Lingua francaMauritian Creole
Language spoken at home (2022)[3]
Ethnic groups
Religion
(2022)[5]
Demonym(s)Mauritian
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic
• President
Prithvirajsing Roopun
Eddy Boissézon
Navin Ramgoolam
Adrien Duval
LegislatureNational Assembly
Independence 
from the United Kingdom
12 March 1968
• Republic
12 March 1992
Area
• Total
2,040 km2 (790 sq mi) (169th)
• Water (%)
0.07
Population
• 2019 estimate
1,265,475[6] (158th)
• 2011 census
1,235,260[7][8][3]
• Density
618.24/km2 (1,601.2/sq mi) (21st)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $40.468 billion[9] (137th)
• Per capita
Increase $32,094[9] (60th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $16.359 billion[9] (133th)
• Per capita
Increase $12,973[9] (69th)
Gini (2017)36.8[10]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.796[11]
high (72nd)
CurrencyMauritian rupee (MUR)
Time zoneUTC+4 (MUT)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy (AD)
Drives onleft
Calling code+230
ISO 3166 codeMU
Internet TLD.mu

Mauritius,[a] officially the Republic of Mauritius,[b] is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about 2,000 kilometres (1,100 nautical miles) off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Agaléga, and St. Brandon (Cargados Carajos shoals).[12][13] The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, along with nearby Réunion (a French overseas department), are part of the Mascarene Islands. The main island of Mauritius, where the population is concentrated, hosts the capital and largest city, Port Louis. The country spans 2,040 square kilometres (790 sq mi) and has an exclusive economic zone covering 2,300,000 square kilometres (670,000 square nautical miles).[14]

Based on the only surviving map of the Portuguese discoveries dated 1502 called the Cantino planisphere, it is generally accepted that Arab sailors first discovered the uninhabited island around 975, naming it Dina Arobi.[15][16] In 1507, Portuguese sailors visited the uninhabited island, which bore the Portuguese names Cirne or Do-Cerne on early Portuguese maps.[17] A Dutch fleet, under the command of Admiral Van Warwyck, landed at what is now the Grand Port District and took possession of the island in 1598, renaming the uninhabited islands after Maurice, Prince of Orange. A succession of short-lived Dutch attempts at permanent settlement took place over a century with the aim of exploiting the local ebony forests, establishing a consistent sugar and arrack production using cane plant cuttings imported from Java together with over three hundred Malagasy slaves, before abandoning their efforts.[18] France took the uninhabited island in 1715, renaming the island "Isle de France". In 1810, the United Kingdom seized the island, and four years later, under the Treaty of Paris, France ceded Mauritius and its dependencies to the United Kingdom. The British colony of Mauritius now included Rodrigues, Agaléga, St. Brandon, the Chagos Archipelago, and, until 1906, the Seychelles.[12][13] Mauritius and France dispute sovereignty over the island of Tromelin. The treaty failed to mention it specifically.[19] Mauritius became the British Empire's main sugar-producing colony and remained a primarily sugar-dominated plantation-based colony until independence, in 1968.[20]

In 1965, the UK split the Chagos Archipelago from British Mauritius to create the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).[21] The local population was forcibly expelled and the largest island, Diego Garcia, was leased to the United States.[22] Ruling on the sovereignty dispute between Mauritius and the UK, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has ordered the return of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.[23]

Given its geographic location and colonial past, the people of Mauritius are diverse in ethnicity, culture, language and faith. It is the only country in Africa where Hinduism is the most practised religion.[24][25] Indo-Mauritians make up the bulk of the population with significant Creole, Sino-Mauritian and Franco-Mauritian minorities. The island's government is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system with Mauritius highly ranked for economic and political freedom being listed by The Economist Democracy Index as the only country in Africa with full democracy.[26] The V-Dem Democracy Indices rated Mauritius as an "electoral autocracy".[27] Mauritius ranks 72nd in the Human Development Index, and the World Bank classifies it as a high-income economy.[28] It is amongst the most competitive and most developed economies in the African region.[29] The country is a welfare state. The government provides free universal health care, free education up through the tertiary level, and free public transportation for students, senior citizens, and the disabled.[30] Mauritius is consistently ranked as the most peaceful country in Africa.[31]

Along with the other Mascarene Islands, Mauritius is known for its biodiverse flora and fauna with many unique species endemic to the country. The main island was the only known home of the dodo, which, along with several other avian species, became extinct soon after human settlement. Other endemic animals, such as the echo parakeet, the Mauritius kestrel and the pink pigeon, have survived and are subject to intensive and successful ongoing conservation efforts.[32]

  1. ^ "Government Information Service – Coat of Arms". govmu.org. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  2. ^ The Mauritian constitution makes no mention of an official language. The Constitution only mentions that the official language of the National Assembly is English; however, any member can also address the chair in French.
  3. ^ a b [1]
  4. ^ "Africa: Mauritius". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  5. ^ "2022 HOUSING AND POPULATION CENSUS" (PDF). Republic of Mauritius. May 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Population and Vital Statistics – Year 2019". Statistics Mauritius. March 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  7. ^ [2]
  8. ^ [3]
  9. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Mauritius)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  10. ^ "GINI index (World Bank estimate) – Mauritius". World Bank. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Written Statement of the Republic of Mauritius" (PDF). International Court of Justice. 1 March 2018. pp. 23–24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  13. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PCA Memorial Vol 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "Figure 7: Mauritius' EEZ: 1977". Memorial of the Republic of Mauritius (PDF). Vol. IV. Permanent Court of Arbitration. 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  15. ^ "History". Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  16. ^ International Education: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Issues and Systems. Routledge. 17 March 2015. ISBN 9781317467519.
  17. ^ "Republic of Mauritius- History". govmu.org. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  18. ^ Allen, Richard B. (1 August 2003). "The Mascarene Slave-Trade and Labour Migration in the Indian Ocean during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries". Slavery & Abolition. 24 (2): 33–50. doi:10.1080/01440390308559154. ISSN 0144-039X. S2CID 143805648.
  19. ^ Gaymard, Hervé (20 March 2013). A. Un Différend Ancien Avec Maurice Quant À La Souveraineté Sur Tromelin. National Assembly (Report) (in French).
  20. ^ "Rise of the Sugar Economy". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  21. ^ "Annex 11: Colonial Office Telegram No. 199 to Mauritius, No. 222 to Seychelles, 21 July 1965, FO 371/184524". Memorial of the Republic of Mauritius (PDF). Vol. II. Permanent Court of Arbitration.
  22. ^ "Visiting British Indian Ocean Territory". Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  23. ^ "UN court rules UK has no sovereignty over Chagos islands". BBC News. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  24. ^ "Religions in Africa | African Religions | PEW-GRF". www.globalreligiousfutures.org. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  25. ^ "The Global Religious Landscape". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Democracy Index 2021: the China challenge". Economist Intelligence Unit.
  27. ^ "Democracy Report 2024, Democracy Winning and Losing at the Ballot, V-Dem Institute" (PDF).
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference WB GROUP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ "The Global Competitiveness Report 2017–2018" (PDF). Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  30. ^ Stiglitz, Joseph (7 March 2011). "The Mauritius miracle, or how to make a big success of a small economy". The Guardian.
  31. ^ "Global Peace Index measuring peace in a complex world Global Peace Index 2019" (PDF). Institute for Economics and Peace. 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  32. ^ "Saving Africa's Rarest Species". usafricabizsummit.com. Retrieved 19 May 2024.


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