Mauritius

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Mauritius's Information


Capital	Port Louis
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.)
Ethnic Groups	Indo-Mauritian (compose approximately two thirds of the total population), Creole, Sino-Mauritian, Franco-Mauritian
Religion	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.)
Government	Parliamentary republic
Independance	12 March 1968 (from the UK)
Area	2,040.00 km²
Water Area	10.00 km²
Land Area	2,030.00 km²
Population	1,348,242.00
Location	Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, about 800 km (500 mi) east of Madagascar
GDP(PPP)	$25,850,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$20,500.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and France.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, and molasses.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are India, China, and France.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include manufactured goods, capital equipment, and foodstuffs.
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

Where is Mauritius?

Located in Southern Africa, Mauritius is an island nation. It has a 177.00 km coastline. Mauritius and Seychelles both claim the Chagos Islands.

The flag of Mauritius is a rectangle featuring four equal horizontal stripes of red, blue, yellow and green from top to the bottom. The flag was accepted as the national flag on March 12, 1968, on the day Mauritius gained independence. The red color on the flag symbolizes the struggle for independence. Blue stands for the Indian Ocean where the island is located. Yellow stands for the light of independence and green depict the environment of Mauritius and agriculture in the island. Nothing is mentioned about who designed the flag. There have been different historical flags used in Mauritius, all used during a different reigns. During French colonial rule, the present day flag of France was used, and during British rule, from 1869 to 1968, the flag was blue with the Union Jack canton and the coat of arms on the fly side of the flag.

Geography

Mauritius has a mean elevation of 0 m above sea level.

It has a tropical climate that is modified by southeast trade winds. Its terrain is mostly coastal plains with some mountains encircling the central plateau.

Population

Mauritius has a population of 1,348,242 making it the 155th largest in the world.

Creole is the most widely spoken language. The major ethnic groups reported are Indo-Mauritian, Creole, Sino-Mauritian and Franco-Mauritian. The majority of the population is Hindu, Roman Catholic, or Muslim.

The Republic of Mauritius does not have an official language recognized by the law, but English and French are considered the official languages. The constitution of the country states that a member of parliament can address the chair in English or French. Although the two languages are considered official languages, French-based Mauritian Creole is the most common language that is spoken by the majority of the citizens. Other languages are Odia, Tamil, Telugu, Chinese, Bhojpuri, Marathi, Mauritanian sign languages among others. French Creole is spoken by 86.5% of the population and followed by the other languages. The minority languages spoken in Mauritius are Sinhala, Telugu, Bengali, Odia, Marathi, Chinese, Tamil, and Urdu among others.

Government

Mauritius is an independent country. It gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1968. Its constitution was last ratified in 1968.

The Republic of Mauritius has a parliamentary democratic system of government. The country has both a president and prime minister. Parliament elects the president, and the president appoints the prime minister. The president is the chief of state while the Prime Minister presides over the cabinet whose work is to advise the president. Power in the Mauritius government is divided among the three arms of government: the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive. Mauritius has a multiparty system in place with several parties active in politics. Some of the political parties include the Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate, Mouvement Socialiste Militant, Muvman Liberater, Mouvement Militant Mauricien, and Labour Party among others. Multiparty democracy in Mauritius has made the elections in the country to very competitive forcing parties to form coalitions to win the elections. For instance, the current party that has majority seats in parliament is a coalition known as the Alliance Lepep. Elections in Mauritius are held after every five years with the election of a president done by parliament. The presidential term is five years and renewable indefinitely. The president then appoints the prime minister. The prime minister’s role is to handles all matters concerning the government with the help of the cabinet. The prime minister stays in office for as long as they have the support of the majority in the parliament.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Mauritius's GDP is $25,850,000,000.00 (USD) with $20,500.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 137th largest economy and its citizens the 80th richest in the world. The currency of Mauritius is the Rupee (MUR).

Its major export partners are the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and France. Its main exports are clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, and molasses. Its major import partners are India, China, and France. Its major imports include manufactured goods, capital equipment, and foodstuffs.

Flag

The flag of Mauritius is a rectangle comprising four equal horizontal stripes of red, blue, yellow and green from top to the bottom. The flag was accepted as the national flag on March 12, 1968, on the day Mauritius gained independence. The red color on the flag symbolizes the struggle for independence. Blue stands for the Indian Ocean where the island is located. Yellow stands for the light of independence and green depict the environment of Mauritius and agriculture in the island throughout the year nothing is mentioned about who designed the flag and the flag has different variations for different purposes. There have been different historical flags used in Mauritius, all used during a different reigns. During French colonial rule, the present day flag of France was used, and during British rule, from 1869 to 1968, the flag was blue with the Union Jack canton and the coat of arms on the fly side of the flag.