Mauritius - Tourism and Travel

The Republic of Mauritius is an island country in the Indian Ocean, to the east of Madagascar.

It has an area of 788 square miles (2,040 square kilometers)

Mauritius consists of the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, as well as about twenty small islands.

The island of Mauritius is a volcanic island. It has a coast that is made up of coral. The land rises to a plateau in the center of the island.

Mountains that surround the island's central plateau may have once been the rim of a volcanic crater.

Mauritius has a warm humid climate.

Port Louis, on the island of Mauritius is the capital of the Republic of Mauritius.

1,288,000 people live in the Republic of Mauritius. Most of them live on the western and northern sides of Mauritius Island.

68% of the people are Indo-Mauritian, 27% are Creole, 3% are Sino-Mauritian and 2% are Franco-Mauritian.

English is the official language. French, French Creole, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil and Chinese are also spoken.

52% of the people are Hindu, 26% are Roman Catholic, 17% are Muslim and 2% are Protestant.

Tourism, sugar production, clothing manufacture and tuna fishing are important industries.

Mauritius has a parliamentary system of government. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The official currency is the Mauritian rupee, which equals 100 cents.