Location:
Southern Africa
Capital City:
Port Louis
Area:
total: 2,040 sq km
land: 2,030 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
177 km
Mauritius
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:
mean elevation: NA
elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Piton 828 m
Natural resources:
arable land, fish
Land use:
agricultural land: 43.8%
arable land 38.4%; permanent crops 2%; permanent pasture 3.4%
forest: 17.3%
other: 38.9% (2011 est.)
Irrigated land:
190 sq km (2012)
Population – distribution:
population density is one of the highest in the world; the urban cluster is 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.
Natural hazards:
cyclones (November to April);
almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards
People and Society
The estimated resident population of the Republic of Mauritius was 1,356,388 as of December 2017. The female population was 683,893 compared to a male population of 669,798. The population on the island of Mauritius is 1,308,383 and that of Rodrigues island is 48,004; Agalega and Saint Brandon had an estimated total population of 284. Mauritius has the highest population density in Africa.
With no indigenous population, Mauritius’ ethnic mix is a product of more than two centuries of European colonialism and continued international labor migration. Sugar production relied on slave labor mainly from Madagascar, Mozambique, and East Africa from the early 18th century until its abolition in 1835, when slaves were replaced with indentured Indians. Most of the influx of indentured labor – peaking between the late 1830s and early 1860 – settled permanently creating massive population growth of more than 7% a year and reshaping the island’s social and cultural composition. While Indians represented about 12% of Mauritius’ population in 1837, they and their descendants accounted for roughly two-thirds by the end of the 19th century. Most were Hindus, but the majority of the free Indian traders were Muslims.
Mauritius again turned to overseas labor when its success in clothing and textile exports led to a labor shortage in the mid-1980s. Clothing manufacturers brought in contract workers (increasingly women) from China, India, and, to a lesser extent Bangladesh and Madagascar, who worked long hours for lower wages under poor conditions and were viewed as more productive than locals. Downturns in the sugar and textile industries in the mid-2000s and a lack of highly qualified domestic workers for Mauritius’ growing services sector led to the emigration of low-skilled workers and a reliance on skilled foreign labor. Since 2007, Mauritius has pursued a circular migration program to enable citizens to acquire new skills and savings abroad and then return home to start businesses and to invest in the country’s development.
Population:
1,356,388 (July 2017 est.)
Nationality:
Mauritian(s)
Ethnic groups:
Indo-Mauritian (compose approximately two-thirds of the total population), Creole, Sino-Mauritian, Franco-Mauritian.
Languages:
Creole 86.5%, Bhojpuri 5.3%, French 4.1%, two languages 1.4%, other 2.6% (includes English, the official language 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.)
Ethnicity, Language, and Religion
The forebears of the various ethnic groups composing Mauritian society arrived as settlers, slaves, indentured laborers, and immigrants. Although the country’s past contains dark chapters of inequality and exploitation, modern Mauritian history has been remarkable for its relatively smooth and peaceful transition from colonial rule and the rule of large plantation owners to multiparty democracy. Approximately two-thirds of the population is of Indo-Pakistani origin, most of whom are descendants of indentured laborers brought to work in the sugar industry during the 19th and early 20th centuries. About one-fourth of the population is Creole (of mixed French and African descent), and there are small numbers of people of Chinese and Franco-Mauritian descent.
Language is perhaps the most complex and perplexing aspect of the Mauritian social mosaic. This intricacy derives from the number of languages spoken combined with the uses to which they are put and the sociopolitical connotations they bear. Although Creole is the most widely spoken language (about 80% of the population), French predominates in the media, and English is the official language of government and school instruction. English and French are generally considered to be de facto national and common languages of Mauritius, as they are the languages of government administration, courts, and business. The constitution of Mauritius is written in English, while some laws, such as the Civil code, are in French.
According to a 2000 census, Hindus constituted about 50% of the total population. Christians made up about 32%, with a vast majority (about 85% of all Christians) affiliated with the Roman Catholic church. Other Christian denominations include Adventist, Assemblies of God, Christian Tamil, Church of England, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Evangelical, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Most Christians live in the southern portion of the country while the north tends to be predominantly Hindu. About 16% of the population were Muslims, with a majority being Sunni. There are a small number of Buddhists. Throughout the country, there is a strong correlation between religious affiliation and ethnicity. Those of Indian descent are primarily Hindu or Muslim. Those of Chinese descent are often nominally Buddhists, but practicing Catholics, since they often admit their children to Catholic schools. Creoles and Europeans are primarily Catholic.
Education
Education in Mauritius is managed by the Ministry of Education & Human Resources, which controls the development and administration of state schools funded by the government, but also has an advisory and supervisory role in respect of private schools. The Tertiary education is maintained by the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology. The government of Mauritius provides free education to its citizens from pre-primary to tertiary levels. Since July 2005, the government also introduced free transport for all students. Schooling is compulsory up to the age of 16. Mauritian students consistently rank top in the world each year for the Cambridge International O Level, International A and AS level examinations.
Many children ages three through five attend pre-primary schools. According to Statistics Mauritius for 2016, nearly 29,000 students were enrolled in such schools. Almost 100 percent of the population of 4 to 5-year-olds attended pre-primary schools. More than 97,300 (97 percent) students enrolled in 318 primary schools for the 2016 school year. While the number enrolled in secondary school grew to over 110,000, only 72 percent of students eligible attended. The problem with education in Mauritius is retention. Attendance drops 25 percent from primary to secondary school.
Children are enrolled in primary school from the age of five and enter Standard I and move automatically up to Standard VI. The system is highly competitive and a two-year preparation starts since Standard V up to Standard VI for the end of primary school examinations, the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE). The CPE is a national examination carried out by the Mauritius Examination Syndicate which devises the syllabus; prepares and prints the examinations papers and does the correction. The 6-years of secondary schooling adhere to the British model too. After the first 4 of these, students write their O-Levels in at least 6 subjects. If they wish to, they may remain on for the final 2 years, in preparation for the A-Level examinations administered by the University of Cambridge.
Tertiary institutions in Mauritius include colleges, universities, Institutes of Technology/Polytechnic and other technical institutions. The country’s two main public universities are the University of Mauritius and the University of Technology. Universities, as in most countries worldwide, have three stages: Bachelor’s (undergraduate), Master’s (graduate), and Doctoral degrees. Undergraduate stage lasts for at least four years and graduate stage lasts for five years after completion of secondary education or one year after obtaining a bachelor’s degree. The third stage of higher education results in obtaining a Ph.D. Degree. Private institutions and overseas institutions/bodies deliver tertiary-level programmes mostly in niche areas like Information Technology, Law, Management, Accountancy, and Finance.
Economy
Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has undergone a remarkable economic transformation from a low-income, agriculturally-based economy to a diversified, upper-middle-income economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. Mauritius has achieved steady growth over the last several decades, resulting in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Real GDP growth reached a robust 4% in 2017. The main drivers of growth were the services sector, especially finance, and the trade and accommodation services. The latter benefited from a buoyant tourism sector, a key sector supported by the recent acceleration in the global economy. Tourist arrivals increased by 5.2% in 2017 to reach 1.34 million—a number equivalent to the island’s entire resident population.
The Mauritius economy currently depends on sugar, tourism, textiles and apparel, and financial services, but is expanding into fish processing, information and communications technology, education, and hospitality and property development. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area but sugar makes up only around 3-4% of national GDP. Authorities plan to emphasize services and innovation in the coming years. After several years of slow growth, government policies now seek to stimulate economic growth in five areas: serving as a gateway for international investment into Africa; increasing the use of renewable energy; developing smart cities; growing the ocean economy; and upgrading and modernizing infrastructure, including public transportation, the port, and the airport.
Fiscal policy has been stable with an overall budget balance of -3.2% of GDP planned for the current fiscal year, which ends in June. If achieved, this would be a small reduction from the 3.5% of GDP budget deficit outturn of FY 2017/18. Public sector debt levels are substantial, at approximately 56% of GDP (by the domestic statutory definition). Mauritius’s external balances continued to be supported by abundant financial and capital inflows, including net inflows to the large offshore corporate sector. Thus, although the current account deficit was a sizable 5.9% of GDP in Q3 2017 (slightly narrower than a year earlier), the overall balance of payments remained moderately in surplus, and gross international reserves rose to $ 6.1 billion in January 2018 (equivalent to over 10 months of imports).
The baseline scenario is for economic conditions to remain buoyant on the back of favorable external conditions and the pick-up in public investment, notably Mauritius’s sizable road decongestion program. Economic growth is projected to remain in the 3.5–4.0% range, broadly consistent with the estimated pace of potential growth in output. Growth could even accelerate if the government’s ambitious public infrastructure program gathers pace and stimulates more private investment. The economy’s external financing position should benefit from continued strength in services exports (mainly tourism) and brighter prospects for goods exports due to stronger economic growth in Mauritius’s key trading partners.
Mauritius’ sound economic policies and prudent banking practices helped mitigate the negative effects of the global financial crisis of 2008-09. GDP grew in the 3-4% per year range in 2010-17, and the country continues to expand its trade and investment outreach around the globe. Growth in the US and Europe fostered goods and services exports, including tourism, while lower oil prices kept inflation low. Mauritius continues to rank as one of the most business-friendly environments on the continent and passed a Business Facilitation Act to improve competitiveness and long-term growth prospects. A new National Economic Development Board was set up in 2017-2018 to spearhead efforts to promote exports and attract inward investment.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$27.44 billion (2017 est.)
$26.41 billion (2016 est.)
$25.42 billion (2015 est
note: data are in 2017 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$12.27 billion (2017 est.)
GDP – real growth rate:
3.9% (2017 est.)
3.9% (2016 est.)
3.5% (2015 est.)
GDP – per capita (PPP):
$21,600 (2017 est.)
$20,900 (2016 est.)
$20,100 (2015 est.)
Gross national saving:
13.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
16.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
16.3% of GDP (2015 est.)
GDP – composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 21.8%
services: 74.2% (2017 est.)
Agriculture – products:
sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish
Industries:
food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, mining, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism
Population below poverty line:
8% (2006 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.912 billion
expenditures: $3.337 billion (2017 est.)
Agriculture
About 40 percent of the island’s surface is being used for cultivation, of which roughly 90 percent is sugar cane, the balance being tea, tobacco and food crops. Historically, sugarcane cultivation was the main agricultural activity in Mauritius. Following a cut in the European Union’s guaranteed sugar falling production levels and the global food price crisis, the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security emphasized the need to diversify the agricultural sector.
Tea production in Mauritius has been on the decline, disadvantaged by production cost increases, labor shortages, and low world prices. The area under tea cultivation declined from 2,905 ha (7,178 acres) in 1990 to 660 in 2001. Tobacco production was 600 tons in 2001 and now provides the raw material for most locally produced cigarettes. In recent years, horticultural products have been successfully grown for export, including flowers (mainly anthuriums), tropical fruits, and vegetables.
Relying on imports for 70 percent of the country’s food requirements, Mauritius is particularly vulnerable to rising global food prices. Since the 2008 global food price crisis, the government has been pushing the agriculture sector to boost food production to increase the country’s self-sufficiency. A reasonable level of success has already been achieved, with farmers producing almost 100 percent of the country’s needs in fresh vegetables, 60 percent in potato and about one-third in onion.
Fruit production consists mainly of banana, pineapple, litchi, and mango, and meets just under 50 percent of the country’s requirements. Livestock production is undertaken by about 3,500 people but only produces five percent of requirements in meat and two percent in milk. The government is working towards making the dairy sector more technological, upgrading small regional cow breeding cooperatives and attracting investment in animal feed production.
Tuna, snapper, and grouper are some of the most commercially valuable species of fish in Mauritius’ waters. One of the major causes of poverty among coastal fishing communities is the depletion of marine resources. According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), lagoons are at risk of being over-fished, octopus stocks have declined sharply and the methods of fishing for octopus are gradually destroying the reef. To relieve pressure on resources, the government has introduced a range of regulations. Coastal communities are also vulnerable to cyclones and rising sea levels.
Electricity access:
electrification – total population: 100% (2016)
Electricity – production:
2.857 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – consumption:
2.68 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – exports:
0 million kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – imports:
0 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – installed generating capacity:
1.056 million kW (2015 est.)
Electricity – from fossil fuels:
66.3% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Electricity – from nuclear fuels:
0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Telephones – fixed lines:
total subscriptions: 389,500
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 29 (July 2016 est.)
Telephones – mobile cellular:
total: 1.814 million
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 134 (July 2016 est.)
Internet country code:
.mu
total: 717,618
percent of population: 53.2% (July 2016 est.)
Industry and Mining
The manufacturing sector of Mauritius has evolved into a technology-intensive sector and offers investment opportunities in food processing & Packaging, Textiles & Technical Textiles, Precision Engineering & Watchmaking, Medical Devices & Pharmaceuticals, and High-end jewelry & Diamond Processing. The manufacturing sector contributed an estimated 17.7% to Mauritius’ total GDP. In 2011 the manufacturing sector in Mauritius employed approximately 77,000 employees, roughly 26% of the Mauritian labor force.
The Mauritian manufacturing sector has traditionally been dominated by textiles and sugar production. In 2010 the industrial sector in Mauritius was responsible for producing 452, 473 tonnes of sugar. More recent diversification into jewelry production, optical goods manufacture, furniture making, light engineering and electronic components manufacturer and assembly has expanded the sector.
Mauritius sits in a “golden triangle” connecting Asia, Africa, and Australia, and some consider the country will become the business capital of Africa. State-of-the-art infrastructure and forward-thinking factories have also made Mauritius an attractive option for innovation as the country upgrades its apparel production offering. Operators in Mauritius have invested in new technology to decrease production cycle times and many companies are vertically integrated. Much Mauritian apparel and textile manufacturers are flexible with order quantities and add value via their contribution to the design of the products, according to Enterprise Mauritius division manager Geerish Bucktowonsing.
Of the more than 1,500 products Mauritius exports to more than 150 countries around the world, textiles, and apparel are the leading export. Mauritius has a 40-year history of making textiles and apparel and was once one of the largest producers of knitwear. Over those years, the country has evolved from its initial cut, make, trim capabilities to vertically integrated manufacturing for value-added, sophisticated product. The textile and apparel industry in Mauritius consists of facilities for spinning, knitting, and weaving and finishing for dyed and printed fabrics, denim fabrics and for knit-to-shape items.
The World Bank ranked Mauritius first in Africa for 2016 in terms of ease of doing business there, and it was also ranked first in Africa in the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report for 2015.
Banking and Finance
Mauritius has a relatively sophisticated banking sector with 23 banks currently licensed to undertake banking business. Of the 23 banks, 2 banks provide private banking services exclusively while one bank conducts Islamic banking exclusively. Data sourced by the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion suggests that 82 percent of Mauritians aged 15 and above have a bank account.
According to the Banking Act of 2004, all banks are free to conduct business in all currencies, including the Mauritian rupee. There are also eight non-bank deposit-taking institutions, as well as several money changers and foreign exchange dealers. There are no official government restrictions on foreigners opening bank accounts in Mauritius, but some banks may require letters of reference or proof of residence for their own due diligence. The Bank of Mauritius, the country’s central bank, carries out the supervision and regulation of banks as well as non-bank financial institutions authorized to accept deposits. The Bank of Mauritius has endorsed the Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision as set out by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.
The banking system is dominated by two, long-established domestic groups, Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) and State Bank of Mauritius (SBM), which together hold approximately 65 percent of all Mauritian banking assets. Maubank, the third largest bank in the country, became operational in January 2016 following a merger between the Mauritius Post & Cooperative Bank and the National Commercial Bank. The latter is the ex-Bramer bank which was nationalized after revocation of its license in April 2015 for failure to meet the minimum cash reserves ratio. The Bank of China obtained a banking license in March 2016 and started operations on 27 September 2016. Other foreign banks present in Mauritius include HSBC, Barclays Bank, Bank of Baroda, Habib Bank, Banque des Mascareignes, PT Bank Maybank Indonesia, Deutsche Bank, Standard Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, State Bank of India, and Investec Bank. As of January 31, 2017, commercial banks’ total assets amounted to USD 34.7 billion.
The government of Mauritius abolished foreign exchange controls in 1994. Consequently, no approval is required for converting, transferring, or repatriating profits, dividends, or capital gains earned by a foreign investor in Mauritius. Funds associated with any form of investment can be freely converted into any world currency. The exchange rate is market-determined, but a small number of institutions dominate the market with the Bank of Mauritius, the central bank, occasionally intervening. Between end February 2016 and end February 2017, the Mauritian Rupee appreciated against the British Pound Sterling and the Euro by 10.7 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively, but remained fairly stable against the U.S. Dollar.
There are no time or quantity limits on remittance of capital, profits, dividends, and capital gains earned by a foreign investor in Mauritius. Mauritius has a well-developed and modern banking system. There is no legal parallel market in Mauritius for investment remittances. The Embassy is unaware of any proposed changes by the government to its investment remittance policies.
Tourism
Once thought to be the preserve of nearby Madagascar, wildlife tourism in Mauritius is rapidly gaining in popularity. And why wouldn’t it? Mauritius has saved more bird species from extinction than any other country on earth, with the result that you can now see two of the loveliest birds of the Indian Ocean – the pink pigeon and the Mauritian kestrel – at various places around the island. Giant tortoises – in captivity in their hundreds, or roaming free on Île aux Aigrettes – are another drawcard, while dolphins, whales, and sharks are just three highlights of the island’s richly biodiverse marine environment.
Mauritius is rightly famed for its sapphire-blue waters, powder-white beaches and, yes, luxury resorts that provide a front-row seat onto some of the most beautiful views in the Indian Ocean. These are places of the utmost refinement, of impeccable service, of facilities that range from pampering spas, designer rooms and extensive watersports options to dreamy swimming pools, expansive palm-strewn grounds, and world-class restaurants. Your stay will live long in the memory and will have you dreaming of a return. Partly that’s because of the supreme levels of comfort and luxury. But it’s also thanks to the resorts’ discretion and warmth, and the unmistakable sense of being treated like royalty.
Place of Attraction
Port Louis; Most people come to ‘Por Loowee’, Mauritius’s capital, to shop, although it has several cultural attractions. The Blue Penny Museum is home to the world’s first colonial stamp and you can see an ancient dodo skeleton, on the first floor of The Natural History Museum. Get a sense of multi-faith Mauritius here by gazing over churches, mosques, and Chinese and Indian temples from the citadel, or join the locals and ex-pats on a late afternoon stroll up Signal Mountain – named after the antennae on top – to see the city at sunset.
Grand Baie; A fishing village 20 years ago, this sheltered bay bobbing with boats is now the main tourist hub of the island. Nicknamed “Le Trop” for its hot shopping and après-sol entertainment, it has plenty of excursions, attractions and beaches nearby.
Le Morne Brabant; found in the South of the island, is a scarcely inhabited place. It is mostly surrounded by hotels. There you will have the chance of seeing Le Morne Mountain, classified as World Heritage, a single peak encapsulating so much of Mauritius’ history in it. The mountain was the place, for slaves, to escape from their masters. The place is full of nice viewpoints over the west coast of the island and over the southern part of the island.
A national park stretching over 6574 hectares of incredible native forests and wildlife, covering 3.5% of Mauritius’ land area and including a range of ecosystems. This dense forest is home to over 300 species of flowering plants. Want to spot one of the rarest birds in the world? Then the national park is your best bet since it is the habitat of the Pink Pigeon, a bird endemic to Mauritius, which nearly reached extinction.
Black River Gorges National Park; The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary is one of the amazing Sanctuary of Sierra Leone. It is located in Freetown and it will take about 40 minutes from the mainland of Freetown. The western area forest reserve has become more visited by the tourists because of the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. It covers about 100 acres. You can go through Sanctuary by the new dirt motorway. It will be the best if you come on a one-day excursion to see the lovely waterfalls, villages surrounding the Sanctuary easily.
Chamarel is a small village located in the district of Savanne. Chamarel attracts much since you will have the chance to visit the beautiful places in its vicinity- The highest waterfall in Mauritius at 100 meters and the 7-colored earth. The Chamarel Falls is as impressive a waterfall as you’ll find anywhere and makes up a perfect spot. Climbing the stairs to the viewing platform reveals an awe impressive view as it hits the pool 100 meters below. The ‘Seven Coloured Earth’, made up of sand dunes of different distinct colors including reds, browns, and purples will impress more than one. This phenomenon is due to the cooling, at different temperatures, of volcanic rocks which resulted in dunes of different colors.
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