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.

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 1,860 km²
Land: 1,850 km²

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 177 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or the edge of continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

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

Natural resources: arable land, fish

Land use
Arable land: 54%
Permanent crops: 4%
Meadows and pastures: 4%
Forest and woodland: 31%
Other: 7%

Irrigated land: 170 km² (1989 est.)

Natural hazards: subject to cyclones (November to April; almost completely surrounded by reefs

Population: 1,116,923 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 0.92% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Mauritian(s)

Ethnic groups: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%

Languages: English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori

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

Population growth rate: 0.92% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 19.28 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 6.41 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.67 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution

Infant mortality rate: 18.4 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70.54 years
Male: 66.62 years
Female: 74.63 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.22 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 80%
Male: 85%
Female: 75%

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Port Louis

Administrative divisions: 9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne

Independence: 12 March 1968 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 12 March (1968)

Constitution: 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Cassam UTEEM (since 1 July 1992); Vice President Rabindranath GHURBURRON (since 1 July 1992)
Head of government: Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 12 June 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Prem NABABSING (since 26 September 1990)

Legislative branch: National Police Force, including the paramilitary Special Mobile Force (SMF), Special Support Units (SSU), and National Coast Guard
Legislative Assembly: elections last held on 15 September 1991 (next to be held by 15 September 1996); results - MSM/MMM 53%, MLP/PMSD 38%; seats - (70 total, 62 elected) MSM/MMM alliance 59 (MSM 29, MMM 26, OPR 2, MTD 2); MLP/PMSD 3

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INMARSAT, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Leslie ALEXANDER
From the us chancery: Suite 441, 4,301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us telephone: [230] 208-9,763 through 208-9,767
From the us fax: (202) 966-0983
From the us embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis
From the us mailing address: use Embassy street address
From the us FAX: [230] 208-9,534

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

Economy overview: The economy is based on sugar, manufacturing (mainly textiles), and tourism. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 40% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on industrialization (with a view to exports), agricultural diversification, and tourism. Economic performance in 1992 was impressive, with 6% real growth and low unemployment.

Real gdp growth rate: 6.3% (1992 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $7,800 (1993 est.)

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: 7% (1990; accounts for 25% of GDP

Labor force: 335,000
By occupation government services: 29%
By occupation agriculture and fishing: 27%
By occupation manufacturing: 22%
By occupation other: 22%
By occupation note: 43% of population of working age (1985)

Unemployment rate: 2.4% (1991 est.)

Budget: revenues:$557 million

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Exports: $1.32 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodities: textiles 44%, sugar 40%, light manufactures 10%
Partners: EC and US have preferential treatment, EU 77%, US 15%

Imports: $1.63 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodities: manufactured goods 50%, capital equipment 17%, foodstuffs 13%, petroleum products 8%, chemicals 7%
Partners: EC, US, South Africa, Japan

Debt external: $991 million (1992 est.)

Exchange rates: Mauritian rupees (MauRs) per US$1 - 18.696 (January 1994), 17.648 (1993), 15.563 (1992), 15.652 (1991), 14.839 (1990), 15.250 (1989)

Electricity
Capacity: 235,000 kW
Production: 630 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 570 kWh (1992)

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

Airports: 5
Usable: 4
With permanentsurface runways: 2
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 1
With runways 1220-2439 m: 0

Merchant marine: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 162,387 GRT/260,552 DWT, bulk 6, cargo 7, liquefied gas 1

Disputes international: claims UK-administered Chagos Archipelago, which includes the island of Diego Garcia in UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory; claims French-administered Tromelin Island

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; heroin consumption and transshipment are growing problems