| 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. |
| Location: |
Southern Africa,
island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
20 17 S, 57 33 E |
| Area: |
total:
1,860 sq km
land: 1,850 sq km
water: 10 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados
Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues |
| Area
- comparative: |
almost 11 times
the size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
continental
shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental
margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| 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%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 23% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
170 sq km (1993
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, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
| Population: |
1,189,825 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
25.53% (male 153,691; female 150,094)
15-64 years: 68.24% (male 404,940; female
407,056)
65 years and over: 6.23% (male 29,588; female
44,456) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.88% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
16.5 births/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.82 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-0.92 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
17.19
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 71.25 years
male: 67.26 years
female: 75.31 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.01 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.08% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Mauritian(s)
adjective: Mauritian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Indo-Mauritian
68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2% |
| Religions: |
Hindu 52%,
Christian 28.3% (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%),
Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1% |
| Languages: |
English
(official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.9%
male: 87.1%
female: 78.8% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Republic of Mauritius
conventional short form: Mauritius |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary
democracy |
| 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 |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Cassam UTEEM (since 1 July 1992)
and Vice President Angidi Verriah CHETTIAR (since 28 June
1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Sir Anerood
JUGNAUTH (since 17 September 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister
Paul BERENGER (since 17 September 2000)
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 28 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); prime minister
and deputy prime minister appointed by the president and are
responsible to the National Assembly
election results: Cassam UTEEM reelected
president and Angidi Verriah CHETTIAR elected vice
president; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
National Assembly (66 seats - 62 elected by popular vote, 4
appointed by the election commission from the losing
political parties to give representation to various ethnic
minorities; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next
to be held by September 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party -
MSM/MMM 52.3%, MLP/PMSD 36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party -
MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6, OPR 2 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Hizbullah [Cehl
Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra
RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul
BERENGER] - in coalition with MSM; Mauritian Militant
Renaissance or MMR [Dr. Paramhansa NABABSING]; Mauritian
Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL];
Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH] -
governing party; Rodrigues Movement or OPR [Joseph
(Nicholas) Von MALLY] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
various labor
unions |
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT, ACP, AfDB,
C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, InOC, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UN
Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH
chancery: Suite 441, 4301 Connecticut Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Mark W. ERWIN
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] 208-2347, 208-2354, 208-9763
through 9767
FAX: [230] 208-9534 |
| Flag
description: |
four equal
horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green |
| 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 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 foreign investment.
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. Economic performance since 1991 has continued
strong with solid growth and low unemployment. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $12.3 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
7.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $10,400 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
10%
industry: 29%
services: 61% (1996) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
10.6% (1992 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
5.3% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
514,000 (1995) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
construction and
industry 36%, services 24%, agriculture and fishing 14%,
trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, transportation and
communication 7%, finance 3% (1995) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
6.4% (1999 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$1.1 billion
expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
| 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: |
1.26 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
91.27%
hydro: 8.73%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
1.172 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
sugarcane, tea,
corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish |
| Exports: |
$1.6 billion
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
clothing and
textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses |
| Exports
- partners: |
UK 32%, France
19%, US 15%, Germany 6%, Italy 4% (1999 est.) |
| Imports: |
$2.3 billion
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
manufactured
goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products,
chemicals (1996) |
| Imports
- partners: |
France 14%, South
Africa 11%, India 8%, UK 5% (1999 est.) |
| Debt
- external: |
$1.9 billion
(1998 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$42 million
(1997) |
| Currency: |
Mauritian rupee (MUR) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Mauritian rupees
per US dollar - 27.900 (January 2001), 26.250 (2000), 25.186
(1999), 22.993 (1998), 21.057 (1997), 17.948 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 July - 30 June |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
223,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
37,000 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: small system with good service
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF
radiotelephone links to several countries |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 5, FM 9,
shortwave 2 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
2 (plus 11
repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
258,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.mu |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
2 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
55,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
1,910 km
paved: 1,834 km (including 36 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 76 km (1998) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Port Louis |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 61,909 GRT/87,313 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, combination bulk 2,
container 2, liquefied gas 1, refrigerated cargo 2
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered
here as a flag of convenience: India 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
2
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
National Police
Force (includes the paramilitary Special Mobile Force or SMF
and National Coast Guard) |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 339,473 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 171,206 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$11 million
(FY97/98) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
0.3% (FY97/98) |
| Disputes
- international: |
claims the Chagos
Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean
Territory); 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 |
|
