* βeta
Mauritius
Background :
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. Recent poor weather, declining sugar prices, and declining textile and apparel production, have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.
Location :
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Geographic Coordinates Center :
20 17 S, 57 33 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 56.51 |
| North | -10.32 |
| East | 63.50 |
| South | -20.53 |
Map references :
Other Regions
Area :
| total | 2 040 | square km |
| land | 2 030 | square km |
| water | 10 | square km |
Coastline :
177.00 km
Climate :
tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Terrain :
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 828 | metres |
Natural resources :
| arable land | fish |
Land use :
| arable land | 49.02 | % |
| permanent crops | 2.94 | % |
| other | 48.04 | % |
Irrigated land :
220 square km
Total renewable water resources :
2 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| cyclones |
current issues :
water pollution, degradation of coral reefs
international agreements :
| Antarctic-Marine Living Resources | Biodiversity |
| Climate Change | Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Desertification | Endangered Species |
| Environmental Modification | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Marine Life Conservation |
| Ozone Layer Protection | Ship Pollution |
| Wetlands |
Population :
1 284 264
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 0.78 | % |
| Birth rate | 14.41 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 1.81 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 6.59 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -0.06 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 22.50 | % |
| 15-64 years | 70.40 | % |
| 65 years and over | 7.10 | % |
Median age :
| total | 31.90 | years |
| male | 31.00 | years |
| female | 32.70 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.99 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.67 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.97 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 12.20 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 74.00 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 70.53 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 77.65 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 1.70 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 13 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 100 |
Religions :
| Hindu | 48.00 | % |
| Roman Catholic | 23.60 | % |
| Muslim | 16.60 | % |
| other Christian | 8.60 | % |
| other | 2.50 | % |
| unspecified | 0.30 | % |
| none | 0.40 | % |
Languages :
| Creole | 80.50 | % |
| Bhojpuri | 12.10 | % |
| French | 3.40 | % |
| English |
Literacy :
| total population | 84.40 | % |
| male | 88.40 | % |
| female | 80.50 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Republic of Mauritius |
| conventional short form | Mauritius |
| local long form | Republic of Mauritius |
| local short form | Mauritius |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | MU |
| ISO Numeric | 480 |
| ISO3 | MUS |
| FIPS | MP |
| ccTLD | mu |
| English | Mauritius |
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
Capital :
| name | Port Louis |
| geographic coordinates | 20 09 S, 57 29 E |
| time difference | 4.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | AOSIS |
| AU | AfDB |
| C | COMESA |
| CPLP (associate) | FAO |
| G-77 | IAEA |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICCt | ICRM |
| IDA | IFAD |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| IHO | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IMSO | IOC |
| IOM | IPU |
| ISO | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| InOC | Interpol |
| MIGA | NAM |
| OIF | OPCW |
| PCA | SAARC (observer) |
| SADC | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UNWTO |
| UPU | WCO |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO |
Independence :
1968-03-12
National holiday :
Independence Day
1968-03-12
Executive branch :
| President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH | Prime Minister Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 15 940 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 9 156 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 2.10 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 12 400 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 4.70 | % |
| industry | 24.90 | % |
| services | 70.50 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| industry | 30.00 | % |
| services | 25.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Unemployment rate | 7.80 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 8.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 39.00 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.40 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 23.30 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 868 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 1 428 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 4 567 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 3 443 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 0.30 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 58.30 | % of GDP |
Budget :
| revenues | 1 857 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 2 190 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| bananas | cattle |
| corn | fish |
| goats | potatoes |
| pulses | sugarcane |
| tea |
Industries :
| chemicals | clothing |
| food processing | machinery |
| metal products | mining |
| sugar milling | textiles |
| tourism | transport equipment |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 2 321 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 2 158 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 23 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 22 200 | bbl/day |
Value :
2 055 000 000 $
Partners :
| United Kingdom (gb) | 30.80 | % |
| France (fr) | 15.20 | % |
| United States (us) | 8.60 | % |
| Italy (it) | 6.60 | % |
| Belgium (be) | 5.30 | % |
| UAE | 5.10 | % |
| Madagascar (mg) | 4.10 | % |
Commodities :
| clothing and textiles | cut flowers |
| fish | molasses |
| sugar |
Value :
3 552 000 000 $
Partners :
| India (in) | 23.80 | % |
| France (fr) | 11.40 | % |
| South Africa (za) | 9.60 | % |
| China (cn) | 7.90 | % |
Commodities :
| capital equipment | chemicals |
| foodstuffs | manufactured products |
| petroleum products |
Currency-code :
MUR
Currency-name :
Mauritian rupee
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 364 500 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 1 032 999 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 9 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | mu | |
| Internet Hosts | 22 813 | |
| Internet Users | 380 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 2 | |
| Roadways - total | 2 028 | km |
| Roadways - expressways | 75 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 2 028 | km |
Flag
| Photos provided by
are under the copyright of their owners
|