Mauritius
Background Information
- Mauritius is a group of islands in the South–West Indian Ocean
- First time visited by Portuguese in 1510, they used the island as a virtual stop on their way to Goa
- First colonization was made by the Dutch in 1598 who named it after Prince Maurice de Nassau and after it was abandoned in 1710
- French occupied Mauritius between 1710-1810 and renamed it Isle de France
- In 1735 Mahe Labourdonnias takes over Governor and rebuilds Port-Louis
- 1810 the British take over and the name reverted to Mauritius
- 12 March 1968 Mauritius gains independence
- 12 March 1992 becomes republic
- 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
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 investments
Overview
| Capital | Port Louis |
| Currency | Mauritian Rupee (MUR) |
| Major Ethnic Groups | Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2% |
| Main 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) |
Population
| Religious Breakdown | 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 | 1,250,882 (July 2007 est.) Growth Rate: 0.798% (2007 est.) Birth rate: 15.26 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| HIVAIDS | Adult Prevalence rate 0.1% (2001 est.) People Living with HIV/AIDS 700 (2001 est.) Deaths Less than 100 (2001 est.) |
| Labour Force | 555,000 (2006 est.) |
| Labour Force by Sector | Agriculture and Fishing 14%, Construction and Industry 36%, Transportation and Communication 7%, Trade, Restaurants, Hotels 16%, Finance 3%, Other Services 24% (1995) |
| Literacy: Age 15 and over that can read or write | |
|---|---|
| Total Population | 84.4% |
| Male | 88.4% |
| Female | 80.5% (2000 census) |
Sovereignty
| Government | 12 Mar1968, ammended 12 Mar 1992 |
| Constitution | Parliamentary Democracy |
| Legal System | Based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
| Chief of State | President Sir Anerood Jugnauth (since 7 October 2003); Vice President Abdool Raouf Bundhun (since 25 February 2002) |
| Head of Government | Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam (since 5 July 2005) |
| Elections | president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 25 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly |
| Cabinet | Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister |
| Prime Minister | Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam |
Banking And Business
| Banking & Office Hours | Mon – Fri (09h30–16h00) Sat (09h00–12h00) |
| GDP | Purchasing Power Parity $17.02 billion (2006 est.) Real Growth Rate: 5% (2006 est.) Official Exchange Rate :$7.182 billion (2006 est.) Per Capital $13,700 (2006 est.) |
| Composition By Sector | Agriculture 5.1% Industry 25.2% Services 69.7% (2006 est.) |
| Electricity | Electricity Production 2.107 billion kWh (2004) Electricity Production Fossil Fuel 90.8% Hydro 9.2% Nuclear 0% Electricity Consumption 1.96 billion kWh (2004) Electricity Exports 0 kWh (2001) Electricity Imports 0 kWh (2001) |
| Transportation | Highways Total: 2,020 km Paved 2,020 km (includes 75 km of expressways) Waterways None Harbours and Ports Port Louis |
| Air Transport | 6 (2006) |
| Exports | $2.318 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) Clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses |
| Major trading partners | UK 30.6%, France 15.3%, UAE 10.6%, US 10.3%, Madagascar 7% (2006) |
Schooling And Holidays
| Public Holidays |
Jan 01 – 02 New Year Jan 22 Chinese New Year Jan/Feb Thaipoosam Cavadee Feb 01 Abolition of Slavery Day Feb 18 Maha Shivaratri Mar 12 National Day Mar 21 Ougadi Apr 9 Good Friday May 01 Labour Day Sep 18 Ganesh Chaturi Nov 01 All Saints Day Nov 02 Arrival of Indentured Labourers Nov 12 Diwali Nov 14 –16 Eid al Fitr (End of Romadan) Dec 25 Christmas Day |
Images
Media
Tv Stations
Three Channels all owned by Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation
All stations overseen by the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA)
All stations overseen by the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA)
- MBC1
- MBC 2
- MBC 3
Radio Stations
| Station | Freq | Owned | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radio-Maurice | AM | State | French/Creole/Some Eng |
| Radio-Mauritius | AM | State | Hindustani and Asian |
| Kool Fm | FM | State | French/Eng(Youth Station) |
| Taal Fm | FM | State | Hindustani (Pop Music) |
| Radio One | FM | Private | Creole Audience |
| Radio Plus | FM | Private | Becoming increasing popular |
| Top Fm | FM | Private | French/Hindi/Creole |
Magazines
Newspapers
Daily Newspapers
L’express circulation 35 000
Le Mauricien circulation 35 000
Le Matinal circulation 10 000
Weekend papers
L’express circulation 35 000
Le Mauricien circulation 35 000
Le Matinal circulation 10 000
Weekend papers
Le Defi circulation 45 000 (Saturdays)
L’express circulation 40 000 (Sundays)
5 Plus circulation 50 000 (Sundays)
Week-end circulation 75 000 (Sundays)
L’express circulation 40 000 (Sundays)
5 Plus circulation 50 000 (Sundays)
Week-end circulation 75 000 (Sundays)
Outdoor Media
Clear Channel
All Colour
Trait Union
All Colour
Trait Union
Country Data
News
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Date : 06 Apr 2021
