I | INTRODUCTION |
Mauritius, independent island republic in the western
Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The
country includes the island of Mauritius, with an area of 1,865 sq km (720 sq
mi); the island of Rodrigues (104 sq km/40 sq mi) to the east; the Agalega
Islands to the north; and the Cargados Carajos Shoals to the northeast, which
have a combined area of 71 sq km (27 sq mi). The country has a total area of
2,040 sq km (788 sq mi).
II | LAND AND RESOURCES |
The island of Mauritius is of volcanic origin.
From a low-lying plain in the north, the terrain rises to a plateau that covers
the central part of the island. The south is mostly mountainous, rising to a
maximum elevation in Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire (828 m/2,717 ft). Several
lakes are located in the plateau region, and numerous streams rise in the
highlands and radiate to the coast. The island is almost entirely surrounded by
coral reefs, but Port Louis, the capital, has a fine harbor, accessible to
oceangoing ships. The climate is tropical and generally humid. The average
annual temperature is 23°C (73°F) on the coast but is lower in the central
plateau. Average annual precipitation ranges from about 1,000 mm (about 40 in)
on the coast to about 5,000 mm (about 200 in) in the plateau region. Strong
cyclonic storms occur often during the hot season (December to April). The main
natural resource is the relatively fertile soil of the island.
III | POPULATION |
The population of Mauritius (2008 estimate)
is 1,260,781. The overall population density of 621 persons per sq km (1,609 per
sq mi) is one of the highest in the world for countries. Port Louis, the capital
and largest city, has a population (2003 estimate) of 143,000. More than
two-thirds of the people are Indian immigrants and their descendants. People of
mixed African and European descent, known as Creoles, constitute about a quarter
of the total. Chinese and European minorities also exist. The majority of the
Indo-Mauritians are Hindus; the rest are Muslims. Most Creoles are Roman
Catholics. English is the official language, but Creole, a French patois, is
commonly spoken. Other common languages are French, Hindi, and Bhojpuri.
IV | ECONOMY |
The economy of Mauritius has traditionally
been dominated by a single cash crop, sugarcane. More than half the cultivated
land is planted with sugarcane; sugar and molasses are major exports. Other
crops include tea, peanuts, tobacco, and vegetables. Manufactures include
refined sugar and sugar by-products, fertilizers, beverages, electronic
components, and leather goods. The clothing and textile industry boomed during
the 1980s, and tourism is increasingly important. The currency of Mauritius is
the Mauritian rupee, which consists of 100 cents (31.70 rupees
equal U.S.$1; 2006 average).
V | GOVERNMENT |
From 1968 through 1991 Mauritius was a
constitutional monarchy; executive power was nominally vested in the British
monarch, as represented by a governor-general. In March 1992 the country became
a republic. Under the 1992 constitution, the head of state is a president,
elected to a five-year term by the legislature. The president appoints a prime
minister (traditionally the leader of the majority party in the legislature),
who is the chief executive. The legislative body is the National Assembly, which
consists of 62 directly elected representatives and 4 others appointed by the
Supreme Court to ensure representation of various ethnic groups. National
Assembly members serve five-year terms.
VI | HISTORY |
Although it has been settled for less than 400
years, Mauritius was probably visited by the Arabs before the 10th century, the
Malays in the 1400s, and the Portuguese in the early 1500s. It was occupied in
1598 by the Dutch, who named it for Maurice of Nassau, then stadtholder of The
Netherlands. The Dutch left in 1710, and in 1715 the French took possession,
renaming it Île de France. It was captured by the British in 1810 during the
Napoleonic Wars and was formally ceded to Britain in 1814. To offset the labor
problem arising from abolition of slavery in the British Empire, the planters
were allowed to import indentured laborers from India, and since 1861 the
population has been mainly Indian.
Mauritius was granted independence on March
12, 1968. A member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Afro-Malagasy Mauritian
Common Organization, and the Organization of African Unity, Mauritius also has a
special arrangement with the European Union under the Lomé Convention.
The Mauritius Labor Party (MLP), headed by Sir
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, governed Mauritius during the first 14 years of
independence. The opposition Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) gained strength
throughout the 1970s and in 1982 swept to power, under the leadership of Anerood
Jugnauth. Ousted from the MMM in a power struggle, Jugnauth formed a new party,
the Mauritian Socialist Movement (MSM), which, in alliance with the MLP, won a
parliamentary majority in 1983. Jugnauth’s coalition was reelected in 1987 and
1991.
In 1992 Mauritius became a republic, and the
Mauritian National Assembly elected Cassam Uteem president. In December 1995
legislative elections the MSM was unanimously voted out in favor of a coalition
of the MLP and the MMM. Navin Ramgoolam, leader of the MLP and son of Sir
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, replaced Jugnauth as prime minister. The MLP-MMM
coalition fell apart in 1997. In September 2000 a MSM-MMM coalition swept
legislative elections, and Jugnauth became prime minister once again. Jugnauth
resigned in 2003 and was replaced as prime minister by longtime Mauritian
political figure Paul Bérenger. Jugnauth was subsequently elected president by
the National Assembly.
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