Mauritius

§1. Mauritius Introduction

Background:
  Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius 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.

§2. Mauritius Geography

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

Area:
  total: 2,040 km²
  land: 2,030 km²
  water: 10 km²
  note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon),
    and Rodrigues

Area - comparative:
  almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  177 km

Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
  continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

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 extremes:
  lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
  highest point: Mont Piton 828 m

Natural resources:
  arable land, fish

Land use:
  arable land: 49.02%
  permanent crops: 2.94%
  other: 48.04% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  200 km² (2000 est.)

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

§3. Mauritius People

Population:
  1,240,827 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 23.9% (male 149,486/female 147,621)
  15-64 years: 69.5% (male 430,288/female 431,753)
  65 years and over: 6.6% (male 31,939/female 49,740) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 30.8 years
  male: 30 years
  female: 31.8 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.82% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  15.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  6.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 14.59 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 72.63 years
  male: 68.66 years
  female: 76.66 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.95 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.1% (2001 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

Ethnic groups:
  Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%

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

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)

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 85.6%
  male: 88.6%
  female: 82.7% (2003 est.)

§4. Mauritius Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius
  conventional short form: Mauritius

Government type:
  parliamentary democracy

Capital:
  Port Louis

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; 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 [leader NA]; 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] - 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, 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, 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

§5. Mauritius Economy

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).

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $16.28 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $6.252 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  3.1% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $13,200 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 6.1%
  industry: 29.9%
  services: 64% (2005 est.)

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:
  10.5% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  10% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA%
  highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  37 (1987 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  5.6% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  21.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $1.377 billion
  expenditures: $1.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005
    est.)

Public debt:
  26.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
  sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish

Industries:
  food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, chemicals,
  metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
  8% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
  1.941 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  1.805 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  21,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Current account balance:
  $151 million (2005 est.)

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

Exports - commodities:
  clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses

Exports - partners:
  UK 33.1%, France 20.4%, US 14.8%, Madagascar 5.1%, Italy 4.1% (2004)

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

Imports - commodities:
  manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products,
  chemicals

Imports - partners:
  South Africa 11.3%, China 9.4%, France 9.2%, India 9.2%, Bahrain 5.3%,
  Japan 4.1% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $1.605 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $2.958 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $42 million (1997)

Currency (code):
  Mauritian rupee (MUR)

Exchange rates:
  Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 29.496 (2005), 27.499 (2004), 27.902
  (2003), 29.962 (2002), 29.129 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

§6. Mauritius Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  353,800 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  510,000 (2004)

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

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2002)

Television broadcast stations:
  2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)

Internet country code:
  .mu

Internet hosts:
  4,954 (2005)

Internet users:
  180,000 (2005)

§7. Mauritius Transportation

Airports:
  6 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 2
  over 3,047 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 4
  914 to 1,523 m: 3
  under 914 m: 1 (2005)

Roadways:
  total: 2,254 km
  paved: 2,254 km (including 75 km of expressways) (2003)

Merchant marine:
  total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 26,308 GRT/28,488 DWT
  by type: bulk carrier 4, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2
  foreign-owned: 6 (India 4, Switzerland 2) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Port Louis

§8. Mauritius Military

Military branches:
  National Police Force (includes the paramilitary Special Mobile Force or
  SMF and National Coast Guard)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 313,271 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 248,659 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $12.04 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  0.2% (2005 est.)

§9. Mauritius Transnational Issues

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


<Factbook 2006>
