Mauritius Facts, Map, People, Religion, History, Currency
Mauritius Facts, Map, People, Religion, History, Currency, Flag, Economy, Flag, Language, Population.
Final Stop The Republic of Mauritius is the official name of the tiny, isolated archipelago in the eastern part of Southern Africa’s Indian Ocean. You can learn more about this country on Nations Online. Less than 900 kilometers (560 miles) east of Madagascar and 180 kilometers (110 miles) northeast of French Réunion is this island nation.
The nation is made up of a number of volcanic islands. Mauritius is not the only island in the archipelago; to the east lies Rodrigues Island, 600 km distant; to the north are Agaléga and Saint Brandon, an uninhabited archipelago 430 km apart; and to the northeast are the Cargados Carajos Shoals.
The Mascarene Islands consist of the main island, Mauritius, as well as Rodrigues and Réunion. The island’s surface is 1,864 km², making it somewhat smaller than Tenerife or about the same size as Maui, Hawaii. Its length is around 61 km and its width is 45 km.
As of the year 2020, the population of the archipelago is 1.37 million. The island nation has more people per square kilometer than any other African nation. On Mauritius, you will find nearly every person. Port Louis is the major city and capital of the country. French, English, and Morisien are the languages that are spoken. Nearly everyone in Morisien uses some kind of Morisien, a Creole language derived from French.
An remote and thinly populated large island in the Indian Ocean, Rodrigues is 108 km² (42 sq mi) in size and formed by volcanic eruptions. It is located approximately 500 miles from the main island.
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Mauritius at a glance
Mauritius country profile
CAPITAL CITY: Port Louis
POPULATION: 1.37 million people
CURRENCY: Mauritius Rupee (MUR)
LANGUAGE: English, Creole, and French.
ELECTRICITY: Type G (Irish/British 3-pin)
TIME ZONE: UTC+4 (MUT)
CALLING CODE: +230
MAURITIUS: The ULTIMATE Travel Guide to PARADISE ISLAND the Indian Ocean
History of Mauritius
The island of Mauritius has a rich and varied history, shaped by the several European countries who have colonized it thanks to its strategic position on naval trade routes in the Indian Ocean. ‘Desert Island‘ was the initial name given to this African island by Arab explorers in the 10th century, when its first mention was made. Although Portuguese explorers saw the island in 1507, they didn’t dwell there. Instead, they used it as a stopover for important supplies and food on their trade routes. After Dutch exploration of the island in the 17th century led to communities appearing in the 1630s, the island was renamed Mauritius.
The Dutch were keen on obtaining the island’s rare and valuable resources, including ebony wood and ambergris, a key ingredient in high-end perfume. By the start of the 18th century, the Dutch had left Mauritius because the island’s climate was too unsuitable for farming. The French arrived soon after, settling the island and constructing numerous landmarks in Port Louis, including as roads, houses, fortifications, and facilities that are still visible today on tours of Mauritius. Around the same time, Indian craftspeople and laborers began settling on the island.
British assurances of religious freedom and respect for local law, customs, and culture helped win over the islanders after they conquered Mauritius from France during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1968 until its transformation into a republic in 1992, Mauritius was a British colony. A visit to Mauritius offers a rare chance to see numerous cultures in a relatively small region, thanks to its complicated past and diverse inhabitants.