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: World

Area
Total area total: 1,860 km²
Land: 1,850 km²
Comparative: slightly less than 10.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 177 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the 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.)

Population: 1,127,068 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 0.89% (1995 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Mauritian(s)
Adjective: Mauritian

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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 28% (female 152,892; male 158,891)
15-64 years: 66% (female 376,049; male 372,910)
65 years and over: 6% (female 39,088; male 27,238) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.89% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 18.91 births/1000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 6.38 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.64 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution
Current issues natural hazards: cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards
Current issues international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection

Infant mortality rate: 17.8 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70.84 years
Male: 66.9 years
Female: 74.95 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (1995 est.)

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

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius
Conventional short form: Mauritius

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)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime minister

Legislative branch: unicameral
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 - (66 total) MSM/MMM alliance 59 (MSM 29, MMM 26, OPR 2, MTD 2), MLP/PMSD 4 (MLP 3, PMSD 1); note - the Supreme Court denied the assignment of 3 seats to the MSM

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Anund Priyay NEEWOOR
In the us chancery: Suite 441, 4,301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Leslie M. ALEXANDER
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 telephone: [230] 208-9,763 through 9,767
From the us FAX: [230] 208-9,534

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

Economy overview: Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low income, agriculturally based economy to middle income diversified economy with growing industrial and tourist sectors. For most of the period annual growth has been of the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much improved infrastructure. 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 modernization and to exports), agricultural diversification, and tourism. Economic performance in 1991-93 continued strong with solid real growth and low unemployment.

Real gdp growth rate: 4.7% (1993 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $8,600 (1994 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: 5.8% (1992; 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%

Unemployment rate: 2.4% (1991 est.)

Budget
Revenues: $653 million
Expenditures: $567 million, including capital expenditures of $143 million (FY92/93 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Exports: $1.32 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodoties: textiles 44%, sugar 40%, light manufactures 10%
Partners: EC and US have preferential treatment, EC 77%, US 15%

Imports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodoties: manufactured goods 50%, capital equipment 17%, foodstuffs 13%, petroleum products 8%, chemicals 7%
Partners: EC, US, South Africa, Japan

Debt external: $996.8 million (1993 est.)

Exchange rates: Mauritian rupees (MauRs) per US$1 - 17.755 (January 1995), 17.960 (1994), 17.648 (1993), 15.563 (1992), 15.652 (1991), 14.839 (1990)

Electricity
Capacity: 340,000 kW
Production: 920 million kWh
Production consumption per capita: 777 kWh (1993)

Telephone system: over 48,000 telephones; small system with good service
Local: NA
Intercity: utilizes primarily microwave radio relay
International: 1 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth station; new microwave link to Reunion; high-frequency radio links to several countries

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $11.2 million, 0.4% of GDP (FY92/93)

Airports: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1

Merchant marine
Total: 16 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 191,703 GRT/297,347 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 8, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 1, passenger-cargo 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