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.

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)

small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau

cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards

water pollution, degradation of coral reefs

the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs; home of the dodo, a large flightless bird related to pigeons, driven to extinction by the end of the 17th century through a combination of hunting and the introduction of predatory species

1,303,717 (July 2011 est.)

13.97 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

6.68 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

PORT LOUIS (capital) 149,000 (2009)

1.79 children born/woman (2011 est.)

fewer than 500 (2009 est.)

urban: 100% of population

rural: 99% of population

total: 99% of population

urban: 0% of population

rural: 1% of population

total: 1% of population (2008)

urban: 93% of population

rural: 90% of population

total: 91% of population

urban: 7% of population

rural: 10% of population

total: 9% of population (2008)

Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%

Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other Christian 8.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)

Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)

parliamentary democracy

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

12 March 1968 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 12 March (1968)

12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992

civil legal system based on French civil law with some elements of English common law

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

unicameral National Assembly (70 seats; 62 members elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the election commission to give representation to various ethnic minorities; members to serve five-year terms)

Alliance of the Future or AF [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM] (governing coalition - includes MLD, MMSM, MR, MSD, PMXD); Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER]; Mauritian Militant Socialist Movement or MMSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH]; Mauritian Socialist Militant Movement or MSMM [Madan DULLOO]; Mauritian Solidarity Front of FSM [Cehl FAKEERMEEAH]; Mouvement Republicain or MR [Jayarama VALAYDEN]; Parti Mauricien Xavier Duval or PMXD [Xavier Luc DUVAL]; Rodrigues Movement or MR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR [Serge CLAIR]

ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, C, COMESA, CPLP (associate), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SAARC (observer), SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green; red represents the blood shed for independence, blue the Indian Ocean surrounding the island, yellow has been interpreted as the new light of independence, golden sunshine, or the bright future, and green can symbolize either agriculture or the lush vegetation of the island

Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. The economy rests on sugar, tourism, textiles and apparel, and financial services, and is expanding into fish processing, information and communications technology, and hospitality and property development. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 15% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on creating vertical and horizontal clusters of development in these sectors. Mauritius has attracted more than 32,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India, South Africa, and China. Investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Mauritius' sound economic policies and prudent banking practices helped to mitigate negative effects from the global financial crisis in 2008-09. GDP grew 3.6% in 2010 and the country continues to expand its trade and investment outreach around the globe.

$18.06 billion (2010 est.)

$17.36 billion (2009 est.)

$16.85 billion (2008 est.)

$9.729 billion (2010 est.)

23.8% of GDP (2010 est.)

60.5% of GDP (2010 est.)

62.4% of GDP (2009 est.)

19.25% (31 December 2009 est.)

21.54% (31 December 2008 est.)

$1.889 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$1.906 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$9.605 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$9.277 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$10.23 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$9.423 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$4.74 billion (31 December 2009)

$3.443 billion (31 December 2008)

$5.666 billion (31 December 2007)

sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish

food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, mining, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism

2.321 billion kWh (2007 est.)

2.158 billion kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

23,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

22,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

$-949 million (2010 est.)

$-674.6 million (2009 est.)

$2.041 billion (2010 est.)

$1.942 billion (2009 est.)

clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses, fish

UK 25.55%, France 16.89%, US 9.51%, Italy 5.68%, UAE 5.47%, Belgium 4.93%, Madagascar 4.11% (2009)

$3.935 billion (2010 est.)

$3.499 billion (2009 est.)

manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

India 24.5%, France 14.02%, South Africa 8.55%, China 8.17% (2009)

$2.36 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$2.304 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$5.043 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$4.474 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Mauritian rupees (MUR) per US dollar -

1.087 million (2009)

the government maintains control over TV broadcasting through the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), which operates 3 analog and 10 digital TV stations; MBC is a shareholder in a local company that operates 2 pay TV stations; the state retains the largest radio broadcast network with multiple stations; several private radio broadcasters have entered the market since 2001; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)

no regular military forces; Mauritius Police Force, Special Mobile Force, National Coast Guard (2009)

0.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Islands; claims French-administered Tromelin Island

consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering, but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appears generally to be committed to regulating its banking industry