Background: Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in the 16th century and subsequently settled by the Dutch - who named it in honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU - in the 17th century. The French assumed control in 1715 developing the island into an important naval base overseeing Indian Ocean trade and establishing a plantation economy of sugar cane. The British captured the island in 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. Mauritius remained a strategically important British naval base and later an air station playing an important role during World War II for anti-submarine and convoy operations as well as the collection of signal intelligence. Independence from the UK 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.

Geographic coordinates: 20 17 S 57 33 E

Area
Rank: 181
Comparative: almost 11 times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 177 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

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

Irrigated land: 210 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 2.2 km³ (2001)

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

Geography
Note: the main island from which the country derives its name is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs; former home of the dodo a large flightless bird related to pigeons driven to extinction by the end of the 17th century through a combination of hunting and the introduction of predatory species

Population: 1,313,095 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 155
Growth rate: 0.705% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 140
Below poverty line: 8% (2006 est.)

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

Languages: Creole 80.5% Bhojpuri 12.1% French 3.4% English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population) other 3.7% unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)

Religions: Hindu 48% Roman Catholic 23.6% Muslim 16.6% other Christian 8.6% other 2.5% unspecified 0.3% none 0.4% (2000 census)

Population growth rate: 0.705% (2012 est.)
Rank: 140

Birth rate: 13.78 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 146

Death rate: 6.73 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 143

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 99

Environment
Current issues: water pollution degradation of coral reefs

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 138

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 100

Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 159

Physicians density: 1.06 physicians/1000 population (2004)

Hospital bed density: 3.33 beds/1000 population (2008)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 48
People living with hivaids: 8,800 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 102
Deaths: fewer than 500 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 93

Education expenditures: 3.2% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 127

Government type: parliamentary democracy

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 the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 12 March (1968)

Constitution: 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992

Legal system: civil legal system based on French civil law with some elements of English common law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (70 seats; 62 members elected by popular vote 8 appointed by the election commission to give representation to various ethnic minorities; members to serve five-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Alliance of the Future or AF [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM] (governing coalition - includes MLP MMSM MR MSD PMSD); Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER]; Mauritian Militant Socialist Movement or MMSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH]; Mauritian Socialist Militant Movement or MSMM [Madan DULLOO]; Mauritian Solidarity Front of FSM [Cehl FAKEERMEEAH]; Mouvement Republicain or MR [Jayarama VALAYDEN]; Maurition Social Democratic Party or PMSD [Xavier Luc DUVAL]; Rodrigues Movement or MR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR [Serge CLAIR]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AOSIS AU C CD COMESA CPLP (associate) FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO InOC Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NAM OIF OPCW PCA SAARC (observer) SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of red (top) blue yellow and green; red represents self-determination and independence blue the Indian Ocean surrounding the island yellow has been interpreted as the new light of independence golden sunshine or the bright future and green can symbolize either agriculture or the lush vegetation of the island

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 more equitable income distribution increased life expectancy lowered infant mortality and a much-improved infrastructure. The economy rests on sugar tourism textiles and apparel and financial services and is expanding into fish processing information and communications technology and hospitality and property development. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 15% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on creating vertical and horizontal clusters of development in these sectors. Mauritius has attracted more than 32,000 offshore entities many aimed at commerce in India South Africa and China. Investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius with its strong textile sector has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Mauritius' sound economic policies and prudent banking practices helped to mitigate negative effects from the global financial crisis in 2008-09. GDP grew in the 3-4% per year range in 2010-12 and the country continues to expand its trade and investment outreach around the globe.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 130

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 102

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 80

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3.3% (2010 est.)
Rank: 93

Labor force: 617,800 (2012 est.)
Rank: 155

Unemployment rate: 7.9% (2011 est.)
Rank: 92

Population below poverty line: 8% (2006 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 37 (1987 est.)
Rank: 67

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -4.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 135

Taxes and other revenues: 20.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 158

Public debt: 57.1% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 44

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 6.5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 134

Central bank discount rate:

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 8.92% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 105

Stock of narrow money: $2.323 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 123

Stock of broad money: $23.87 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 81

Stock of domestic credit: $12 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 93

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 79

Current account balance: -$1.164 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 125

Exports: $2.645 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 135
Commodities: clothing and textiles sugar cut flowers molasses fish
Partners: UK 21.3% France 17.8% US 10.5% Italy 8.1% South Africa 7.7% Spain 7.1% Madagascar 6.2% (2011)

Imports: $4.926 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 128
Commodities: manufactured goods capital equipment foodstuffs petroleum products chemicals
Partners: India 25.2% China 13.6% France 9.1% South Africa 6.9% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.779 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 109

Debt external: $5.489 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 107

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: NA

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: NA

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 2.889 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 130
Consumption: 2.687 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 134
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 102
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 214
Installed generating capacity: 885,200 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 125
Generation sources fossil fuels: 75.2% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 98
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 140
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 6.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 122
Generation sources other renewable sources: 18.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 8

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 167
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 155
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 96
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 166

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 176
Products consumption: 24,710 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 124
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 202
Products imports: 22,750 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 101

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 167
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 173
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 118
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 99
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 171

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 4.545 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 127

Telephones
Main lines in use: 374,600 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 107
Mobile cellular: 1.294 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 150

Broadcast media: the government maintains control over TV broadcasting through the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) which operates 3 analog and 10 digital TV stations; MBC is a shareholder in a local company that operates 2 pay-TV stations; the state retains the largest radio broadcast network with multiple stations; several private radio broadcasters have entered the market since 2001; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .mu
Hosts: 51,139 (2012)
Hosts rank: 95
Users: 290,000 (2009)
Users rank: 132

Military expenditures: 0.3% of GDP (2006 est.)
Rank: 167

Airports: 5 (2012)
Rank: 184

Roadways
Rank: 173

Merchant marine
Rank: 132

Ports and terminals: Port Louis

Disputes international: Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Islands; claims French-administered Tromelin Island

Illicit drugs: consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appears generally to be committed