Mauritius is a group of islands off Southern Africa, located in the Indian
Ocean, east of the island of Madagascar. The main island, also called Mauritius, is of volcanic origin and surrounded by coral reefs. It has a central plateau, surrounded by mountains, bordered by a coastal plain. It contains 91 percent of the total territory of the nation. There are three groups of smaller islands.
It was known to Arab and Malay sailors from the 10th century A.D., but not explored by Westerners until the Portuguese in 1505. It was uninhabited when the Portuguese arrived. It has been a colony of the Netherlands, France and Great Britain until it became independent in 1968.
It has a total area of 2,040 square kilometers.
The climate is tropical, with southeast trade winds. Winters are warm and dry, and summers are hot, wet, and humid. It is prone to cyclones from November to April. The trade winds often bring heavy rains.
The country has a population of 1,250,882 (July 2007 est.). The ethnic background of its population are Indo-Mauritian 68 percent, Creole 27 percent, Sino-Mauritian 3 percent, Franco-Mauritian 2 percent.
There are several religions represented by the population; 48 percent are Hindu, 23.6 percent are Roman Catholic, 16.6 percent are Muslim, other Christian are 8.6 percent, and the remainder are unspecified.
Mauritius's form of government is a parliamentary democracy. The capital is Port Louis.
The economy is diversified into agriculture, industry, and services. Sugar cane is the largest crop, grown on 90 percent of arable land, and makes up 25 percent of exports.
The flightless dodo bird was one of the indigenous fauna of the island. It has become extinct, as has much of the other indigenous animal and plant life.
Web Sites
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Mauritius or Southern Africa.
Databases
Enter Mauritius in these databases: