Geography of Mauritius

Mauritius is an island of volcanic origin covering an area of 2,040 sq km with
330 kilometres of picturesque coastline. Mauritius is 45km in width and
65km in length. The island is formed around a central plateau, with its
highest peak in the southwest, at 828 metres.

Mauritius Climate

Mauritius enjoys a sub-tropical climate. The summer period is from November to April
while the winter period is from May to October.In summer season, the average
temperature ranges between 23°c to 33°c while in winter, the average temperature
ranges between 17°c to 23°c.
The annual rainfall is around 900 mm on the coast and 1500 mm on the central plateau.
The average sea temperature ranges between 22°c to 27°c.

History of Mauritius

Known to the Arabs as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was officially discovered in 1505 by
the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas .
The Dutch who were the first to colonise Mauritius, named it after their ruler, Prince Maurice
Van Nassau. The Dutch left the island in 1710 and the French took possession in 1715 and
played an instrumental role in its development.
In 1810, following a battle the British took over the island. Mauritius gained its independence
in 1968 and became Republic in 1992.

Mauritius Language

Mauritius is a bilingual country with an English and French speaking population.
The literacy rate in Mauritius is close to 90%.
The official language of Mauritius is English. All Government administrative documents are
therefore drawn up in English.
The medium of instruction in education is both English and French.

Mauritius Demography

Mauritius has a population of 1,250,882 people (July 2007 est.), with an annual growth rate of 0.8%. Various multi-ethnic groups coexist in peace and harmony.
Mauritians are the descendants of, among others, people from the India, Africa, France, Great Britain and China.

Mauritius Government

Mauritius is a democracy modelled on the British system of parliamentary democracy, which guarantees the separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers.
The President is the Head of State and Commander-in-chief while the Prime Minister has full executive powers and is the Head of Government. 62 members of the National Assembly are elected every five years by universal adult suffrage.
Democracy is well entrenched in Mauritius and all major political parties are represented in Parliament.

Legal System of Mauritius

Mauritius has a hybrid system based on based on French civil law system with elements of English common. The highest court of appeal is the Privy Council of London.

Mauritius Currency

The local currency is the Mauritius rupee.
An indicative exchange rate of the rupee is as follows:

1 EURO 1 USD 1 GBP 1 ZAR

: Rs 41 : Rs 27 : Rs 55 : Rs 3.60

Mauritius Culture

Mauritius is a blend of diverse cultures and religions. The population consists of Hindus, Creole, Chinese, Muslims and Europeans.
The sega is local folklore music. Sega has African roots, and main traditional instruments for producing the music are goat-skin percussion instruments called ravane and metallic clicks using metal triangles.

Mauritius Cuisine

The cuisine of Mauritius is a blend of Indian, Creole, Chineese and European cuisine.
Typical Mauritian dishes include the "dholl puri" (a type of bread, made from lentils), “gateaux piments” and the "mine-frit" (Chinese fried noodle).
A common Mauritian drink is "alouda", a milk-based drink containing basil seeds. European, Chineese, Indian and creole cuisine is also very common.