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p About us p Our companies p Mauritius p Staff p Newsletter p Contact us |
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MAURITIUS: p Geographic location p Climate p Accessibility p Demographics p History p Government |
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Geographic location Mauritius lies in the southern Indian Ocean to the east of Madagascar; it became a Republic in 1992 and comprises four islands: Mauritius, Rodrigues, St Brandon, and Agalega. With the exception of its coral reefs and beaches, the land area of 710 square miles (1,865 sq km.) is of volcanic origin. The other islands comprise another 67 square miles (175 sq km.) of land area. About 90% of the cultivated land area is devoted to sugar cane. Climate The climate is defined as sub-tropical; winter temperatures average between 17°C and 24°C and summer temperatures between 24°C and 32°C. Rainfall in summer (November to May) averages 51” (140mm) per month. Therefore, humidity levels rarely dip below 60%, peaking at 70% plus from February to April when the rainfall is highest. Winter rainfall averages 2” (50mm) per month with humidity levels around 60%. Accessibility The time zone is 4 hours ahead of GMT, 9 hours ahead of EST. Mauritius is served by SSR International Airport at Plaisance, which is 45 kilometres south east from the capital Port Louis; eighteen international airlines operate from here. Port Louis, the capital, is the only port and is served by 25 international shipping lines. Demographics The population of Mauritius is 1,250,882 (July 2007 est), with the population growth rate being 0.798% (2007 est). The official language is English, although Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka and Bojpoori are also spoken. Arab traders were the first to land on Mauritius during the 14th and 15th centuries; however, the island was too far off their trade routes for them to form a settlement. History The island was colonised for the first time by the Dutch in the 17th century; in the latter half of that century there was a wave of French immigrants who brought their African slaves with them. Britain took over Mauritius in 1810, abolishing slavery in 1835. To replace slave labour, indentured labourers were introduced, until this practice also was stopped by the British in 1922. After this, immigrants continued to arrive from Asia but not in the same numbers as during the indentured years. Ethnically, about two-thirds of the population is Indo-Mauritian, and most of the remainder is Creole. About half of the population is Hindu, with 28% Christian and 17% Muslim. Mauritius gained independence from Britain in 1968 and with it lost the Diego Garcia Archipelago; this is still a source of dispute. Tourist numbers have steadily increased from 150,000 in 1985 to 800,000 in 2006 and a projected number of 2 million by 2011. Mauritius is a member of the Association of Francophone Countries, The British Commonwealth, and the UN. Government Mauritius is a sovereign state within the British Commonwealth. The head of state is the President of the Republic who is elected by the National Assembly. The Prime Minister is the leader of the winning party after elections for the National Assembly, which are held every 5 years, and is appointed by the President. The Council of Ministers is appointed by the President on the Prime Minister’s recommendation. The leader of the opposition is also appointed by the President and is normally the leader of the main opposition party. There are 62 members of the National Assembly who represent the 21 constituencies; a further 8 members are nominated as best losers in an attempt to give fair representation to ethnic groups and minority parties. Mauritius’s legal system is a mixture of English Common Law and French Civil Law. Company and procedural law is based on English law. Substantive law is in the main modeled on the Napoleonic code. The Supreme Court of Mauritius is the highest court in the republic; final appeal is to the Privy Council in England.
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