officially Republic of Mauritius
Island country, lying east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
The central independent island state of the Mascarene group, it extends 38 mi (61 km) north-south and 29 mi (47 km) east-west. Its outlying territories are Rodrigues Island to the east, the Cargados Carajos Shoals to the northeast, and the Agalega Islands to the north. Area: 788 sq mi (2,040 sq km). Population (2002 est.): 1,211,000. Capital: Port Louis . About three-fifths of the population are either Creole or of French descent, and two-fifths are Indian. Languages: English (official), Creole (lingua franca), various ethnic languages. Religions: Hinduism (one-half the population), Christianity (one-third), Islam. Currency: rupee. Volcanic in origin and almost surrounded by coastal reefs, Mauritius rises to 2,711 ft (826 m) at the Petite Rivière Noire Peak; its chief water source is Lake Vacoas. About half of its land is arable, and sugarcane is the major crop, though the government has sponsored agricultural diversification. The country is heavily dependent on food imports, mainly rice. The population density is one of the highest in the world. The island was visited, but not settled, by the Portuguese in the early 16th century. The Dutch took possession (1598–1710), called it Mauritius after the governor Maurice of Nassau, and attempted to settle it (1638–58, 1664–1710) before abandoning it to pirates. The French East India Company occupied it, renamed it Île de France in 1721, and governed it until the French Ministry of Marine took over its administration in 1767. Sugar planting was the main industry, and the colony prospered. The British captured the island in 1810 and were granted formal control of it under the Treaty of Paris in 1814; the name Mauritius was reinstated, and slavery was abolished. In the late 19th century competition from beet sugar caused an economic decline, compounded by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. After World War II Mauritius adopted political and economic reforms, and in 1968 it became an independent state within the Commonwealth . In 1992 it became a republic. It experienced political unrest into the beginning of the 21st century.