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.

Geographic coordinates: 20 17 S 57 33 E

Map reference: World

Area
Total: 1,860 km²
Land: 1,850 km²
Water: 10 km²
Note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues
Comparative: almost 11 times the size of Washington DC

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Piton 828 m

Natural resources: arable land: fish

Land use
Arable land: 49%
Permanent crops: 3%
Permanent pastures: 3%
Forests and woodland: 22%
Other: 23% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 170 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards

Population: 1,189,825 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 0.88% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: 10.6% (1992 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Mauritian
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: 25.53% (male 153,691; female 150,094)
15-64 years: 68.24% (male 404,940; female 407,056)
65 years and over: 6.23% (male 29,588; female 44,456) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.88% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 16.5 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 6.82 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.92 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution degradation of coral reefs
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.02 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 17.19 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.25 years
Male: 67.26 years
Female: 75.31 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.01 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.08% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 82.9%
Male: 87.1%
Female: 78.8% (1995 est.)

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 Shoals* 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) and Vice President Angidi Verriah CHETTIAR (since 28 June 1997)
Head of government: Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 17 September 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister Paul BERENGER (since 17 September 2000)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 28 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president and are responsible to the National Assembly
Election results: Cassam UTEEM reelected president and Angidi Verriah CHETTIAR elected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next to be held by September 2005)
Election results: percent of vote by party - MSM/MMM 52.3%, MLP/PMSD 36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party - MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6, OPR 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] - in coalition with MSM; Mauritian Militant Renaissance or MMR [Dr. Paramhansa NABABSING]; Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH] - governing party; Rodrigues Movement or OPR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB C CCC ECA FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat InOC Intelsat Interpol IOC ISO ITU NAM OAU OPCW SADC UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH
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 Mark W. ERWIN
From the us embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis
From the us mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, Department of State, Washington, DC 20,521-2,450
From the us telephone: [230] 208-2,347, 208-2,354, 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 a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial financial and tourist sectors. For most of the period annual growth has been in 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 25% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on foreign investment. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore entities many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa and investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Economic performance since 1991 has continued strong with solid growth and low unemployment.

Real gdp growth rate: 7.5% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,400 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 10%
Industry: 29%
Services: 61% (1996)

Agriculture products: sugarcane tea corn potatoes bananas pulses; cattle goats; fish

Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling) textiles clothing; chemicals metal products transport equipment nonelectrical machinery; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 8% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 514,000 (1995)
By occupation construction and industry: 36%
By occupation services: 24%
By occupation agriculture and fishing: 14%
By occupation trade restaurants hotels: 16%
By occupation transportation and communication: 7%
By occupation finance: 3% (1995)

Unemployment rate: 6.4% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: 10.6% (1992 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $1.1 billion
Expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.3% (2000 est.)

Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: clothing and textiles sugar cut flowers molasses
Partners: UK 32% France 19% US 15% Germany 6% Italy 4% (1999 est.)

Imports: $2.3 billion (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: manufactured goods capital equipment foodstuffs petroleum products chemicals (1996)
Partners: France 14% South Africa 11% India 8% UK 5% (1999 est.)

Debt external: $1.9 billion (1998 est.)

Exchange rates: Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 27.900 (January 2000) 26.250 (2000) 25.186 (1999) 22.993 (1998) 21.057 (1997) 17.948 (1996)

Electricity
Production: 1.26 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 91.27%
Production by source hydro: 8.73%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 1.172 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 223,000 (1997)
Mobile cellular: 37,000 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: small system with good service
Domestic: primarily microwave radio relay
International: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries

Internet
Country code: .mu
Service providers isps: 2 (2000)
Users: 55,000 (2000)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $11 million (FY97/98)
Percent of gdp: 0.3% (FY97/98)

Airports: 5 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Railways: 0 km

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 61,909 GRT/87,313 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 2, combination bulk 2, container 2, liquefied gas 1, refrigerated cargo 2
Note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: India 1 (2000 est.)

Disputes international: claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory); claims French-administered Tromelin Island