Map of Mauritius | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505 Mauritius was subsequently held by the Dutch French and British before independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 1,860 km²
Land: 1,850 km²; includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues
Comparative:

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 177 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claims UK-administered Chagos Archipelago, which includes the island of Diego Garcia in UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory; claims French-administered Tromelin Island

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

Terrain: small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau

Elevation

Natural resources: arable land, fish

Land use: arable land: 54%; permanent crops: 4%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and woodland 31%; other 7%; includes irrigated 9%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 1,092,130 (July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992)

Nationality: noun - Mauritian(s; adjective - Mauritian

Ethnic groups:

Languages:

Religions: Hindu 52%, Christian (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%) 28.3%, Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 19 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 7 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: subject to cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs
Current issues note: located 900 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 73 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 82.8 % (male 88.7%, female 77.1%) age 13 and over can read and write (1985 UNESCO estimate)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Port Louis

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 12 March 1968 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 12 March (1968)

Constitution: 12 March 1968

Legal system: based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Chitmansing JESSERAMSING; Chancery at Suite 134, 4,301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008; telephone (202) 244-1491 or 1492
US:

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview:
GDP: exchange rate conversion - $2.5 billion, per capita $2,300; real growth rate 6.1% (FY91 est.)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 10% of GDP; about 90% of cultivated land in sugarcane; other products - tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses, cattle, goats, fish; net food importer, especially rice and fish

Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, wearing apparel, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 12.9% (FY87; accounts for 25% of GDP

Labor force: 335,000; government services 29%, agriculture and fishing 27%, manufacturing 22%, other 22%; 43% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: 35% of labor force in more than 270 unions

Unemployment rate: 2.4% (1991 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $557 million; expenditures $607 million, including capital expenditures of $111 million (FY90)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
Commodoties: textiles 44%, sugar 40%, light manufactures 10%
Partners: EC and US have preferential treatment, EC 77%, US 15%

Imports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
Commodoties: manufactured goods 50%, capital equipment 17%, foodstuffs 13%, petroleum products 8%, chemicals 7%
Partners: EC, US, South Africa, Japan

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Mauritian rupees (MauRs) per US$1 - 15.198 (January 1992), 15.652 (1991), 14.839 (1990), 15.250 (1989), 13.438 (1988), 12.878 (1987)


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Electricity
Production: 235,000 kW capacity; 425 million kWh produced, 395 kWh per capita (1991)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $5 million, 0.2% of GDP (FY89)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports:

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine:
Civil air: 7 major transport aircraft

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade