Mauritius

Republic of Mauritius

parliamentary democracyIndependence 12 March 1968 (from UK)

Mauritius as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 117 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalPort Louis, UTC+4

Position20 17 S, 57 33 E

Area2,040 sq km

LocationSouthern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Populationas each edition published it

1.24 million July 2006 est. · 1.07m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.82% 2006 est. · 0.95% in 1993

Median ageyears

30.8 years 2006 est. · 29.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

72.63 years 2006 est. · 70.24 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.95 children per woman 2006 est. · 2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

14.59 deaths per 1,000 live births 2006 est. · 20 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$12,800 2005 est. · $2,300 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

2.5% 2005 est. · 6.1% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in 1505; it 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.

Geography

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

18 fields

Land useshare of 2,040 sq km

arable land 49.02%permanent crops 2.94%other 48.04% (2005)irrigated 220 sq km (2003)

Area

2,040sq km

land: 2,030 sq kmwater: 10 sq kmnote: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodriguesalmost 11 times the size of Washington, DC

Coastline

177km

land boundaries: 0 kmterritorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Highest point

828m

Mont Pitonlowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

Location

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates

20 17 S, 57 33 E

Map references

Political Map of the World

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

Natural hazards

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

Environment - current issues

water pollution, degradation of coral reefs

Environment - international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs

People

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)

31,939

65 and over6.6%

49,740

430,288

15-6469.5%

431,753

149,486

0-1423.9%

147,621

MaleFemale

Population

1,240,827

(July 2006 est.)growth rate: 0.82% (2006 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)

Birth

15.43Death

6.86Net migration

-0.4

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2006 est.)72.63

68.66 · 76.66Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)14.59

17.23 · 11.9

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)85.6%

88.6% · 82.7%Median age years (2006 est.)30.8

30 · 31.8

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

Indo-Mauritian 68%Creole 27%Sino-Mauritian 3%Franco-Mauritian 2%

Religions(2000 census)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1%

(2001 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.95 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

700 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Mauritian(s)
adjective:: Mauritian

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)

Government

Parliamentary democracy; President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7 October 2003) and Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February 2002); Prime Minister Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM (since 5 July 2005)

18 fields

National Assembly, 70 seats, elected 3 July 2005one dot, one seat

AS 38MSM/MMM 22OPR 2appointed seats - AS 4MSM/MMM 2OPR 2

Country name

conventional long form:: Republic of Mauritius
conventional short form:: Mauritius
local long form:: Republic of Mauritius
local short form:: Mauritius

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Capital

name:: Port Louis
geographic coordinates:: 20 10 S, 57 30 E
time difference:: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7 October 2003) and Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February 2002)
head of government:: Prime Minister Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM (since 5 July 2005)
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 (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
election results:: Karl OFFMANN elected president and Raouf BUNDHUN elected vice president;
percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA%;
note - Karl OFFMANN stepped down on 30 September 2003

Legislative branch

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

elections:: last held on 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results:: percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - AS 38, MSM/MMM 22, OPR 2;
appointed seats - AS 4, MSM/MMM 2, OPR 2

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

Alliance Sociale or AS;
Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH];
Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM];
Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] (in coalition with MSM);
Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL];
Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH] (the governing party);
Rodrigues Movement or MR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY];
Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR [Serge CLAIR]

Political pressure groups and leaders

various labor unions

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Usha JEETAH
chancery:: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492
FAX:: [1] (202) 966-0983

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador John PRICE
embassy:: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis
mailing address:: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450
telephone:: [230] 202-4400
FAX:: [230] 208-9534

Flag description

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

Economy

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.

42 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$15.73billion

(2005 est.)official exchange rate: $6.681 billion (2005 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

$12,800

(2005 est.)

Real growth rate

2.5%

(2005 est.)industrial production growth: 8% (2000 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

(2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2005 est.)

agriculture 5.9%industry 29.8%services 64.3% (2005 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

32.3%

20.7%

France

12.1%

11.7%

South Africa

11%

India

7.2%

6.2%

Madagascar

Finland

6.1%

China

5.3%

Italy

Germany

5.3%

Bahrain

5.2%

Singapore

4.1%

Exports $1.949 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)Imports $2.507 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)(2005)

Budget

Revenues

$1.377 billionExpenditures

$1.77 billion (2005 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

Electricity production

1.941 billion (2003)Electricity consumption

1.805 billion (2003)

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.

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 expanding local financial institutions and building a domestic information telecommunications industry. 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. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Labor force

570,000 (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture and fishing 14%, construction and industry 36%, transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, finance 3%, other services 24% (1995)

Unemployment rate

9.6% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

10% (2001 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

37 (1987 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

21.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Public debt

67.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses;
cattle, goats;
fish

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

713,300

(2005)

Internet users

4,997

(2006)

Fixed lines

359,000

(2005) · country code .mu

Telephone system

general assessment:: small system with good service
domestic:: primarily microwave radio relay trunk system
international:: country code - 230;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean);
new microwave link to Reunion;
HF radiotelephone links to several countries;
fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

over 3,047 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

Paved 2Unpaved 4

Airports

6 (2006)

Roadways

total:: 2,020 km
paved:: 2,020 km (including 75 km of expressways) (2005)

Merchant marine

total:: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,386 GRT/23,214 DWT
by type:: bulk carrier 2, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2
foreign-owned:: 4 (India 2, Switzerland 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals

Port Louis

Military

No regular military forces; National Police Force, Special Mobile Force, National Coast Guard

3 fields

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.2%

(2005 est.)

Military branches

no regular military forces; National Police Force, Special Mobile Force, National Coast Guard

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 313,271 (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship but no right to patriation in the UK;
claims French-administered Tromelin Island

Illicit drugs

minor 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 to regulating its banking industry

Central Intelligence Agency. “Mauritius.” The World Factbook 2006. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/mauritius/2006.

How to cite ← 2005 edition 2007 edition →

Introduction

Geography

People

Government

Economy

Communications

Transportation

Military

Transnational Issues

Cite this entry