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Mauritius

“You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven; and that heaven was copied after Mauritius.”
~ Mark Twain in “Following the equator”, 1897

Mauritius is a small volcanic island off the East coast of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean, no more than a dot on the world map. It is about 1,865 km² (or 720 sq. miles) and has a population of around 1.2M. Being surrounded by coral reefs almost all around, it boasts stretches of fine white sandy beaches, making it one of the most prized luxury destinations in the world.

The tiny nation is multi-cultural, with 68% of its population being of Indian origin, 27% Creole, 3% Chinese, and 2% of French origin, and is religiously diverse with 52% Hindu, 28.3% Christian (26% Roman Catholic, 2.3% Protestant), 16.6% Muslim and 3.1% Other. The people speak English, French and Creole, with fractions speaking other languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Hakka, Cantonese and some other languages. The official language is English.

True to its multi-cultural identity, festivals such as Thaipoosam Cavadee, Chinese New Year, Maha Shivaratri, Ougadi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, and Christmas are among the national holidays. Typical Mauritian food includes the dhall pouri, roti, massala (curry), briani, fried rice, rougaille (Creole cuisine), achard, vindaye. The main staple is rice. The country’s currency is the Mauritian Rupee, which is broken into 100 cents. The US dollar stands at around Rs 28-30. The Indian rupee costs between 66-70 cents.

Mauritius became a Republic on March 12, 1992, after enjoying independence from Britain since March 12, 1968. The Parliament of Mauritius consists of the President and the National Assembly. The President is the Head of State. The Prime Minister is the Head of Government. Mauritius is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth. Before the British reign, the island was also colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch and French. The Portuguese did not stay for long. Mauritius was named after the Dutch Prince Maurice Van Nassau. The Dutch abandoned the island after exploiting it and killing the now-extinct Dodos for food (hence the expression “As dead as the Dodo “). The Dodos were only known to have lived in Mauritius. The French then came and developed the island and named it Ile de France, which later became Ile Maurice, its current French name.

The main pillars of the Mauritian economy are its Sugar, Textiles, Tourism and Offshore Financial Industries. The GDP growth rate for 2005 is estimated at 3.8%. Recently, Mauritius has been working toward becoming a cyber-island to compete with the likes of India in attracting large IT companies. India’s own Infosys chose Mauritius to host its Disaster Recovery Centre. Education in Mauritius is conducted mostly in English, with the exception of French lycées, which instruct in French. Students study at least English and French languages from a very young age, ever since starting school. Most state and private or semi-private high schools follow the British education system, and students take part in the Cambridge O-Levels and A-Levels examinations. Mauritius has one main university and several polytechnics and other training schools. The literacy rate is at 82.9%.

The electrical voltage is 220/240 volts throughout the island. Electric sockets are of the British type. Mobile phones operate on the GSM 900 standard. The legal drinking age is 16, and the legal driving age is 18.