Mauritius
Republic of Mauritius
Capital: Port Louis
History
Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in the 16th century and subsequently settled by the Dutch - who named it in honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU - in the 17th century. The French assumed control in 1715, developing the island into an important naval base overseeing Indian Ocean trade, and establishing a plantation economy of sugar cane. The British captured the island in 1810, during the Napoleonic Wars. Mauritius remained a strategically important British naval base, and later an air station, playing an important role during World War II for anti-submarine and convoy operations, as well as the collection of signals intelligence. Independence from the UK 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.
Geography
Metric Units
Economy
Budget & Debt
Trade
| Exports |
$2.63 billion |
| Export Items |
clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses, fish |
| Export Partners |
UK 21.3%, France 17.8%, US 10.5%, Italy 8.1%, South Africa 7.7%, Spain 7.1%, Madagascar 6.2% (2011) |
| Imports |
$5.11 billion |
| Import Items |
manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals |
| Import Partners |
India 25.2%, China 13.6%, France 9.1%, South Africa 6.9% (2011) |
People
| Population |
1,322,238 |
| Population Growth |
0.68% |
| Ethnic Groups |
Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2% |
| Religion |
Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other Christian 8.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census) |
| Life Expectancy |
74.94 years |
| Infant Mortality |
0.97 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality |
0.8 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
