Background: Although known to Arab and European sailors since at least the early 1500s, the island of Mauritius was uninhabited until 1638 when the Dutch established a settlement named in honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU. Their presence led to the rapid disappearance of the flightless dodo bird that has since become one of the most well-known examples of extinction in modern times. The Dutch abandoned their financially distressed settlement in 1710, although a number of formerly enslaved people remained. In 1722, the French established what would become a highly profitable settlement focused on sugar cane plantations that were reliant on the labor of enslaved people brought to Mauritius from other parts of Africa. In the 1790s, the island had a brief period of autonomous rule when plantation owners rejected French control because of laws ending slavery that were temporarily in effect during the French Revolution. Britain captured the Island in 1810 as part of the Napoleonic Wars but kept most of the French administrative structure, which remains to this day in the form of the country’s legal codes and widespread use of the French Creole language. The abolition of slavery in 1835 - later than most other British colonies - led to increased reliance on contracted laborers from the Indian subcontinent to work on plantations. Today their descendants form the majority of the population. Mauritius remained a strategically important British naval base, and later an air station, playing a role during World War II for anti-submarine and convoy operations, as well as for the collection of signals intelligence.

Geographic coordinates: 20 17 S, 57 33 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 2,040 km²
Land: 2,030 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
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 177 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf:

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
Highest point: Mont Piton 828 m
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

Natural resources: arable land, fish

Land use
Agricultural land: 43.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 38.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 3.4% (2018 est.)
Forest: 17.3% (2018 est.)
Other: 38.9% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 158 km² (2020)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 290 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 310 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 2.75 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

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
Distribution: population density is one of the highest in the world; urban clusters are found throughout the main island, with a greater density in and around Port Luis; population on Rodrigues Island is spread across the island with a slightly denser cluster on the north coast as shown in this: 1,309,448 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.09% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 10.3% (2017 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Mauritian(s)
Adjective: Mauritian

Ethnic groups: Indo-Mauritian (compose approximately two thirds of the total population), Creole, Sino-Mauritian, Franco-Mauritian
Note: Mauritius has not had a question on ethnicity on its national census since 1972

Languages: Creole 86.5%, Bhojpuri 5.3%, French 4.1%, two languages 1.4%, other 2.6% (includes English, one of the two official languages of the National Assembly, which is spoken by less than 1% of the population), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

Religions: Hindu 48.5%, Roman Catholic 26.3%, Muslim 17.3%, other Christian 6.4%, other 0.6%, none 0.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile: Mauritius has transitioned from a country of high fertility and high mortality rates in the 1950s and mid-1960s to one with among the lowest population growth rates in the developing world today. After World War II, Mauritius’ population began to expand quickly due to increased fertility and a dramatic drop in mortality rates as a result of improved health care and the eradication of malaria. This period of heightened population growth - reaching about 3% a year - was followed by one of the world’s most rapid birth rate declines.

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.3% (male 102,335/female 97,955)
15-64 years: 71.35% (male 464,380/female 469,877)
65 years and over: 13.36% (2023 est.) (male 72,026/female 102,875)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 40.7
Youth dependency ratio: 23.4
Elderly dependency ratio: 17.3
Potential support ratio: 5.8 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 39.3 years (2023 est.)
Male: 37.8 years
Female: 40.6 years

Population growth rate: 0.09% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 9.8 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: population density is one of the highest in the world; urban clusters are found throughout the main island, with a greater density in and around Port Luis; population on Rodrigues Island is spread across the island with a slightly denser cluster on the north coast as shown in this

Urbanization
Urban population: 40.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 149,000 PORT LOUIS (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution, degradation of coral reefs; soil erosion; wildlife preservation; solid waste disposal
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 10.48 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 4.35 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 2.06 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 84 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 11.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 13.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.1 years (2023 est.)
Male: 72.3 years
Female: 78.1 years

Total fertility rate: 1.35 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 63.8% (2014)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 99.9% of population
Improved rural: 99.8% of population
Improved total: 99.9% of population
Unimproved urban: 0.1% of population
Unimproved rural: 0.2% of population
Unimproved total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 6.7% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 2.71 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 3.7 beds/1,000 population (2020)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 10.8% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 3.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 1.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 20.2% (2020 est.)
Male: 37.3% (2020 est.)
Female: 3% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 4.9% of GDP (2021 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 92.2%
Male: 93.5%
Female: 90.5% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 16 years (2017)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 25.3% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 19.7%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 32.9%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius
Conventional short form: Mauritius
Local long form: Republic of Mauritius
Local short form: Mauritius
Etymology: island named after Prince Maurice VAN NASSAU, stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, in 1598
Note: pronounced mah-rish-us

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Port Louis
Geographic coordinates: 20 09 S, 57 29 E
Time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: named after LOUIS XV, who was king of France in 1736 when the port became the administrative center of Mauritius and a major reprovisioning stop for French ships traveling between Europe and Asia

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 and Republic Day, 12 March (1968 & 1992); note - became independent and a republic on the same date in 1968 and 1992 respectively

Constitution
History: several previous; latest adopted 12 March 1968
Amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles, including the sovereignty of the state, fundamental rights and freedoms, citizenship, or the branches of government, requires approval in a referendum by at least three-fourths majority of voters followed by a unanimous vote by the Assembly; passage of other amendments requires only two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; amended many times, last in 2016

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

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent only: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 out of the previous 7 years including the last 12 months

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Prithvirajsing ROOPUN (since 2 December 2019); Vice President Marie Cyril EDDY Boissézon (since 2 December 2019); note - President Ameenah GURIB-FAKIM, the country's first female president, resigned on 23 March 2018 amid a credit card scandal; acting presidents served from March 2018 until ROOPUN's appointment in 2019
Head of government: Prime Minister Pravind JUGNAUTH (since 23 January 2017); note - Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH stepped down on 23 January 2017 in favor of his son, Pravind Kumar JUGNAUTH, who was then appointed prime minister; following 7 November 2019 parliamentary elections, Pravind JUGNAUTH remained prime minister and home affairs minister and also became defense minister
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers (Council of Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for 5-year renewable terms; election last held on 7 November 2019 (next to be held in 2024); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister who have the majority support in the National Assembly
Election results:

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