Mauritius

<p>Although known to Arab and European sailors since at least the early 1500s, the island of Mauritius was uninhabited until 1638 when the Dutch established a settlement named in honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU. Their presence led to the rapid disappearance of the flightless dodo bird that has since become one of the most well-known examples of extinction in modern times. The Dutch abandoned their financially distressed settlement in 1710, although a number of formerly enslaved people remained. In 1722, the French established what would become a highly profitable settlement focused on sugar cane plantations that were reliant on the labor of enslaved people brought to Mauritius from other parts of Africa. In the 1790s, the island had a brief period of autonomous rule when plantation owners rejected French control because of laws ending slavery that were temporarily in effect during the French Revolution. Britain captured the island in 1810 as part of the Napoleonic Wars but kept most of the French administrative structure, which remains to this day in the form of the country’s legal codes and widespread use of the French Creole language. The abolition of slavery in 1835 -- later than most other British colonies -- led to increased reliance on contracted laborers from the Indian subcontinent to work on plantations. Today their descendants form the majority of the population. Mauritius remained a strategically important British naval base and later an air station, and it played a role during World War II in anti-submarine and convoy operations, as well as in the collection of signals intelligence.</p> <p>Mauritius gained independence from the UK in 1968 as a Parliamentary Republic and has remained a stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record. The country also attracted considerable foreign investment and now has one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Mauritius’ often-fractious coalition politics has been dominated by two prominent families, each of which has had father-son pairs who have been prime minister over multiple, often nonconsecutive, terms. Seewoosagur RAMGOOLAM (1968-76) was Mauritius’ first prime minister, and he was succeeded by Anerood JUGNAUTH (1982-95, 2000-03, 2014-17); his son Navin RAMGOOLAM (1995-2000, 2005-14); and Paul Raymond BERENGER (2003-05), the only non-Hindu prime minister of post-independence Mauritius. In 2017, Pravind JUGNAUTH became prime minister after his father stepped down short of completing his term, and he was elected in his own right in 2019. <br><br>Mauritius claims the French island of Tromelin and the British Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory). Since 2017, Mauritius has secured favorable UN General Assembly resolutions and an International Court of Justice advisory opinion relating to its sovereignty dispute with the UK.</p>

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, about 800 km (500 mi) east of Madagascar

20 17 S, 57 33 E

Africa

almost 11 times the size of Washington, D.C.

177 km

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

arable land, fish

143 sq km (2022)

population density is one of the highest in the world; urban clusters are found throughout the main island, with a greater density in and around Port Luis; the population on Rodrigues Island is fairly evenly spread, with a slightly denser cluster on the north coast, as shown in this population distribution map

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

the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs; former home of the extinct dodo, a large flightless bird related to pigeons

Indo-Mauritian (compose approximately two thirds of the total population), Creole, Sino-Mauritian, Franco-Mauritian

Creole 86.5%, Bhojpuri 5.3%, French 4.1%, two languages 1.4%, other 2.6% (includes English, one of the two official languages of the National Assembly, which is spoken by less than 1% of the population), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

Hindu 48.5%, Roman Catholic 26.3%, Muslim 17.3%, other Christian 6.4%, other 0.6%, none 0.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

0.06% (2025 est.)

9.73 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.14 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

population density is one of the highest in the world; urban clusters are found throughout the main island, with a greater density in and around Port Luis; the population on Rodrigues Island is fairly evenly spread, with a slightly denser cluster on the north coast, as shown in this population distribution map

149,000 PORT LOUIS (capital) (2018)

66 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.36 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.66 (2025 est.)

1.44 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

3.7 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

10.8% (2016)

51.6% (2022 est.)

water pollution, degradation of coral reefs; soil erosion; wildlife preservation; solid-waste disposal

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

10.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

2.751 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

parliamentary republic

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

civil 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

Alliance Morisien (Mauritian Alliance)<br>Jean-Claude Barbier Movement (Mouvement Jean-Claude Barbier) or MJCB<br>Mauritian Militant Movement (Mouvement Militant Mauricien) or MMM<br>Mauritian Social Democratic Party (Parti Mauricien Social Democrate) or PMSD<br>Mauritius Labor Party (Parti Travailliste) or PTR or MLP<br>Militant Platform (Plateforme Militante) or PM<br>Militant Socialist Movement (Mouvement Socialist Mauricien) or MSM<br>Muvman Liberater or ML<br>National Alliance<br>Patriotic Movement (Mouvement Patriotique) or MAG<br>Rodrigues Peoples Organization (Organisation du Peuple Rodriguais) or OPR

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

12 March 1968 (from the UK)

Independence and Republic Day, 12 March (1968, 1992)

<strong>description:</strong> four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> red stands for self-determination and independence; blue for the Indian Ocean; yellow for the new light of independence, golden sunshine, or the bright future; and green for agriculture or the island's lush vegetation

dodo bird, earring tree flower (<em>Trochetia boutoniana</em>)

red, blue, yellow, green

upper middle-income Indian Ocean island economy; diversified portfolio; investing in maritime security; strong tourism sector decimated by COVID-19; expanding in information and financial services; environmentally fragile

$14.953 billion (2024 est.)

sugarcane, chicken, pumpkins/squash, tomatoes, eggs, potatoes, cabbages, bananas, onions, cucumbers/gherkins (2023)

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

4.7% (2024 est.)

594,900 (2024 est.)

10.3% (2017 est.)

20.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

USA 11%, France 11%, Zimbabwe 10%, South Africa 7%, Zambia 7% (2023)

fish, garments, raw sugar, fertilizers, diamonds (2023)

China 15%, UAE 11%, India 10%, South Africa 9%, France 6% (2023)

refined petroleum, cars, fish, coal, packaged medicine (2023)

the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) is the national public TV and radio broadcaster, with programming in French, English, Hindi, Creole, and Chinese; MBC provides 17 television channels in Mauritius;&nbsp; 9 FM radio stations and 2 AM radio stations (2022)

.mu

3B

5 (2025)

1 (2025)

no regular military forces; the Mauritius Police Force (MPF) under the Ministry of Defense is responsible for the country's security; it includes a paramilitary unit known as the Special Mobile Force, which includes some motorized infantry and light armored units; the MPF also has a Police Helicopter Squadron, a Special Support Unit (riot police), and the National Coast Guard (2025)

key security priorities for the Maritius Police Force (MPF) include combating narcotics trafficking, ensuring public order, fighting cybercrime, improving maritime security, and responding to natural disasters; the MPF's primary security partner is India, which provides training and other support to the National Coast Guard, while Indian naval vessels often patrol the country's waters; the MPF has also received assistance and training from France, the UK, and the US<br><br>the Special Mobile Force was created in 1960 following the withdrawal of the British garrison (2025)