Interesting Facts About Mauritius - Fun Facts About Mauritius

Mauritius is an island-country situated in the Indian Ocean, just off the coast of Africa and to the east of Madagascar. It comprises of a number of islands, including the main island of Mauritius, the island of Rodrigues, the Agalega islands and the Cargados Carajos Shoals. Apart from that, Mauritius also claims the Tromelin Island (in French possession) and the Chagos Archipelago (in British possession), as its own. The exquisite natural beauty of Mauritius, combined with adventure sports options it offers, is what makes it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Africa. The country features an indigenous mix of French, Indian, African and Chinese culture. The economy of this island is table due to three reasons: tourism, service sector and the sugarcane export. Mauiritus is considered to be the Paradise on earth and one of the mesmerizing islands located on earth. In case you want to know more about the country, make use of the information provided below.

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Fast Facts

Continent: Africa

Area: 2,040 km²

Capital: Port Louis

Population: 1,291,456 (2012 estimate)

Currency: Mauritian rupee

Official Languages: English

Dialing Code: +230

Independence Day: 12 March 1968

Type Of Government: Parliamentary Republic

Fun & Interesting Facts about Mauritius

The official name of Mauritius is the ‘Republic of Mauritius’.
The main languages of Mauritius are Creole, Bhojpuri, French and English.
Majority of the people in Mauritius are Hindus, followed by Roman Catholics, other Christians and Muslims.
The main ethnic groups in Mauritius comprise of Indo-Mauritian, Creole, Sino-Mauritian and Franco-Mauritian.
The currency of Mauritius is Mauritian rupee.
The capital of Mauritius is Port Luis.
Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in 1505, followed by the Dutch.
Dutch claimed the island of Mauritius in the year 1598 and named it after Maurice de Nassau, the Prince of Orange.
It was only around the beginning of the eighteenth century that French explored Mauritius and founded Port Louis.
The highest point in Mauritius is Mont Piton, at 828 m.
French conceded Mauritius, along with the Seychelles, to Britain in 1814, under the Treaty of Paris.
After slavery was abolished in Mauritius, indentured labor from India was made to work in the plantations.
Mauritius gained independence in the year 1968. However, much before that, Britain had separated the Chagos islands (British Indian Ocean Territory) from it.
Mauritius became republic in 1992.
Mauritius is a member of the Commonwealth Nations.
The University of Mauritius was founded in 1972.
Mauritius is the most densely populated country in Africa and the 17th densely populated country in the world.
Mauritius is one of the richest as well as the most developed countries in Africa.
The national flower of Mauritius is the Trochetia Boutoniana (Boucle d'Oreille).
The island comprises of nine districts namely: Pamplemousses, Savanne, Moka, Flacq, Grand Port, Riviere du Rempart, Black River, Plaine Wilhems and Port Louis.
The size of Mauritius accounts to about 2,040 sq km and it is approximately 11 times that of Washington DC.
Over the years, Mauritius has developed from being an agricultural, low income economy to further growth in industrial sector, tourism and expanse in finance.
This has considerably improved the status of the people, equity in income distribution, enhanced infra-structure, low rate of infant mortality, etc.
Sugarcane accounts to about 25% of the export and is grown over 90% of the total land.
The hottest part of Mauritius is considered to be the west coast where the temperature varies from 30-34°C.
Though the people of Mauritius look like Indians and wear Indian attire, they do not speak the language. The language spoken by people of Mauritius is a form of broken French known as ‘Creole’.
Most of the food items they consume are exported from other parts of the country.

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