Mauritius

This Page was last updated on the 25th. October, 2005.

Country	Mauritius
Official Name	Republic of Mauritius
Former Name	Mauritius, Ile de France (contact with Arab and Malay in 10th century AD; Portuguese first visited in 1505; Dutch colony named after Prince Maurice of Nassau from 1638-1710; French claimed Mauritius and renamed it Ile de France in 1715; colony under the French East India Company, French Government took control in 1767; captured by British [possession confirmed by ‘Treaty of Paris’ in 1814] in 1810; Mauritian Creoles trace origins to plantation owners and slaves; Indo-Mauritians descended from Indian immigrant indentured laborers [after slavery was abolished in 1835] of the 19th century; elections to Legislative Assembly in 1947; independence movement, self-government and independence in 1968.)
Capital	Port Louis (Mauritius Island)
Main Towns	Curepipe (pop. 82,756), Port Louis (pop. 146,319), Quatre Bornes (pop. 77,145), Beau Bassin and Rose Hill (pop. 105,377), Vacoas-Phoenix (pop. 101,789),
Subdivisions	9 districts: Black River, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Savanne. 3 dependencies: Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals, Rodrigues.
Independence	12 March 1968 (from UK)
Constitution	12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992
National Holiday	Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
UN Membership	24 April 1968
OAU Membership	August 1968 – now African Union (AU)
Commonwealth	12 March 1968
Other Organisations	In alphabetical order according to abbreviation/acronym: Agency for the French-Speaking Community (ACCT), Africa-Caribbean-Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU), African Development Bank (AfDB or AFDB), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Group of 77 at the United Nations (G-77), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), International Criminal Court (ICCt - signatory), International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM), International Development Association (IDA), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Indian Ocean Commission (InOC), International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), International Olympic Committee (IOC), Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Co-operation (IOR-ARC), International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Non Aligned Movement (NAM), Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), Southern African Development Community (SADC), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Confederation of Labour (WCL), World Customs Organization (WCO, former Customs Cooperation Council [CCC]), World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), World Health Organisation (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), World Tourism Organisation (WToO), World Trade Organisation (WTrO).
Population	World Bank Figures: 1,174,400 (1999), 1,187,000 (2000), 1,200,000 (2001), 1,210,000 (2002), 1,222,188 (2003) Other Sources: 1,127,068 (July 1995), 1,189,825 (July 2001 est.), 1,210,447 (July 2003 est.) 1,230,602 (July 2005 est.)
Area	788 sq. mls. (2,040 sq. kms.) including Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues.
Density	533 per sq.km. (1995)
Highest Point	Piton de la Petite Rivere Noire, Piton 2,717 ft. (828 m.)
Lowest Point	Indian Ocean - sea level
Neighbours	None - Indian Ocean
Life Expectancy	71 years (1995), total population: 71.25 years, male: 67.26 years, female: 75.31 years (2001 est.) total population: 71.8 years, male: 67.82 years, female: 75.85 years (2003 est.) total population: 72.38 years male: 68.4 years female: 76.41 years (2005 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate	total: 16.11 deaths/1,000 live births, female: 13.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.), male: 18.98 deaths/1,000 live births total: 15.03 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS	adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) people living with HIV/AIDS: 700 (2001 est.) deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.) IRIN Plus News - HIV/AIDS Treatment Map: Mauritius - Updated: Sept 2004 Population: 1.2 million HIV Prevalence Rate (%) 2003 End: N/D No. Of People living with HIV/AIDS: 1,090 No. Of People in need of ART: 400 No. Of People Currently On ART (Sep 04): 97 No. Of People on ART Public Sector: 97 No. Of People on ART in Non Govt Programmes: Nil No. Of People Exptd to be on ART (2005 End): 150 Front Line Drug Regimen: -- HIV/AIDS Treatment Sites: 8 Global Fund 2 Year Approved Funding (Round 2: Approved 04-Dec-03): Nil Total Funds Disbursed By The Global Fund: Nil Total Funds Disbursed By The World Bank Multi-Country HIV/AIDS Programme (MAP): Nil Total Funds Disbursed By PEPFAR: Nil Source: USAID, WHO, Ministry of Health
Adult Literacy Rate	total population: 82.9%, male: 87.1%, female: 78.8% (1995 est) total population: 85.6%, male: 88.6%, female: 82.7% (2003 est.)
Ethnic Groups	Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
Languages	Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4% (official), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)
Religions	Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)
Type of Government	Republic, parliamentary democracy
President	Sir Anerood Jugnauth (since 7 October 2003 [25/10/2005])
Prime Minister	Navinchandra Ramgoolam (appointed July 2005 [25/10/2005])
Political Parties	Hizbullah; Mauritian Labor Party (MLP); Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM); Mauritian Social Democrat Party (PMSD); Militant Socialist Movement (MSM); Rodrigues Movement (MR); Rodrigues Peoples Organization (OPR).
Ruling Party	coalition of Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) and Militant Socialist Movement (MSM, governing party)
Currency	Mauritian Rupee (MR, MUR)(100 cents) Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003), 29.962 (2002), 29.129 (2001), 26.25 (2000)
GDP	US$2,352 (1992) US$3,919m (1995) GDP (2004) US$6 billion purchasing power parity - US$15.68 billion (2004 est.) per capita purchasing power parity - US$11,000 (2002 est.) per capita purchasing power parity - $12,800 (2004 est.)
GNP	US$2,860 (1992) US$3,200 (1994) US$3,380 (1995)
Per Capita Income	Per capita income: US$4,900 (2004) GDP per head: US$ 4,725 (2004)
Population Below Poverty Line	10% (2001 est.)
Land Use	arable land: 49.26% permanent crops: 2.96% other: 47.78% (2001) Irrigated land: 200 sq km (2000 est.)
Natural Resources	arable land, fish
Oil and Natural Gas	production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) consumption: 21,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) exports: NA (2001) imports: NA (2001)
Military	Military branches: National Police Force (includes the paramilitary Special Mobile Force or SMF and National Coast Guard) Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 341,029 (2003 est.) males age 18-49: 313,271 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: US$9.712 million, 0.2% of GDP (FY02) $12.5 million, 0.2% of GDP (2004)
Economic Aid Received	US$42 million (1997) Aid per Capita (World Bank): US$36 (1999), US$17 (2000), US$18 (2001), US$20 (2002), US$-12 (2003)
Debt	Less indebted World Bank Figures: US$2,358,400,000 (2000), US$1,657,600,000 (2001), US$1,729,100,032 (2002), US$2,491,599,872 (2003) Other Sources: US$1,801m (1995) US$1.9 bn (1998 est.) US$2.4 billion (2002 est.) US$1.78 billion (2004 est.)
Major Imports	manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals meat, dairy products, fish, wheat, rice, wheat flour, vegetable oil, petroleum products, iron and steel, cement, fertilizers, machinery and transport equipment, and textile industry raw materials (2003)
Imports from	France 20.0%, South Africa 19.0%, India 9.0%, Hong Kong 5.2%, UK (2000) South Africa, France, China, India, U.K., Japan, Australia, and Germany (2003) US$2.3 billion (2003) France 13.1%, South Africa 10.8%, India 7.6%, China 5.9%, Germany 4.5%, Singapore 4% (2004) US$2.245 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Major Exports	clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses textiles and clothing, sugar, canned tuna, watches and clocks, jewelry, optical goods, toys and games, and flowers (2003)
Exports to	UK 25.8%, France 20.8%, US 16.0%, South Africa 10.9%, Germany, Italy (2000) Europe and the U.S. (2003) US$1.9 billion (2003) UK 30.6%, France 22.7%, US 13.7%, Madagascar 7.7% (2004) US$2.012 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

We try to have each fact sheet up to date and as accurate as possible.
If you notice any mistakes, or have suggestions on items which could be added, please let us know by emailing to: suttonlink@dial.pipex.com

The White Fathers, Sutton Coldfield, 25 October, 2005

Page 33 of 61

First Previous Next Last