Mauritius (redirected from Mauritian)

Mauritius (môrĭsh`ēəs, –əs), officially Republic of Mauritius, republic (2005 est. pop. 1,231,000), 790 sq mi (2,046 sq km), in the SW Indian Ocean. It is part of the Mascarene Islands, c.500 mi (800 km) E of Madagascar. The island of Rodriguez and two groups of small islands, Agalega and Cargados Carajos, are dependencies of Mauritius. The capital is Port Louis.

Land, People, and Government

Mauritius is surrounded by coral reefs. A central plateau is ringed by mountains of volcanic origin, which rise to c.2,700 ft (820 m) in the southwest. The island has a tropical, rainy climate. Mauritius is divided into nine districts.

Over two thirds of the population are of Indian descent, and over 25% are creole (of mixed French and African background). There are also small Chinese and French communities. More than half the people are Hindu, about 30% are Christian (mainly Roman Catholic), and most of the remainder are Muslim. English is the official language, and a creole language is widely spoken; other languages include French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, and Bojpoori.

Mauritius is a parliamentary democracy governed under the constitution of 1968, as amended in 1992. The president, who is the chief of state, is elected by the national assemby for a five-year term. The prime minister, who is the head of government, is appointed by the president, as is the council of ministers. The unicameral legislature consists of a 70-seat national assembly; 68 members are elected and, and eight, representing ethnic minorities, are appointed by the president.

Economy

Mauritius has had one of the world's fastest-growing economies since the early 1980s and is increasingly attracting foreign investors. Sugarcane is the chief crop, and it is grown on 90% of the country's arable land. Tea and food crops are also grown, and there is a fishing industry. Textiles and sugar are the major exports. In recent years, the country has decreased its dependence on sugar, diversified its industrial base, and adopted free-trade economic policies. High-technology manufacturing, financial services, and data processing are growing, and tourism is increasingly important. The country's chief trading partners are the European Union nations and the United States. Mauritius is a member of the Southern African Development Community.

History

Mauritius was probably visited by Arabs and Malays in the Middle Ages. Portuguese sailors visited it in the 16th cent. The island was occupied by the Dutch from 1598 to 1710 and named after Prince Maurice of Nassau. The French settled the island in 1722 and called it Île de France. It became an important way station on the route to India. The French introduced the cultivation of sugarcane and imported large numbers of African slaves to work the plantations. The British captured the island in 1810 and restored the Dutch name. After the abolition of slavery in 1835, indentured laborers were brought from India; their descendants constitute a majority of the population today.

Politics on Mauritius was long the preserve of the French and the creoles, but the extension of the franchise under the 1947 constitution gave the Indians political power. Indian leaders in the 1950s and 60s favored independence, while the French and creoles wanted continuing association with Britain, fearing domination by the Hindu Indian majority. In 1965, Britain separated the strategic Chagos Archipelago (see British Indian Ocean Territory) from Mauritius, but Mauritius continues to claim the islands and has sought their return. The 1967 election gave a majority in the assembly to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam's proindependence Labor party. Independence was granted in 1968, and Ramgoolam became the first prime minister. Mauritius joined the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations.

The 1960s saw the rise of left-wing militancy, while in the 1970s and 80s political coalitions formed along ethnic and class lines. The economic crisis of the late 1970s and early 80s, after Cyclone Claudette and a drop in world sugar prices, intensified internal disputes.

In 1982 the left-wing Mauritius Militant Movement (MMM) came to power, and Anerood Jugnauth became prime minister. The following year a split in the MMM led Jugnauth to form the Mauritius Socialist Movement (MSM). Jugnauth headed a series of coalition governments. In 1992, Mauritius became a republic, with Cassam Uteem as its first president. In 1995, Navinchandra Ramgoolam, son of the former prime minister, and a Labor-led coalition came to power after defeating Jugnauth in a landslide, but in Sept., 2000, Jugnauth and an MSM-MMM coalition returned to power in a similar landslide. President Uteem resigned in 2002; Karl Offmann was elected by the national assembly to succeed him. In Sept., 2003, Jugnauth resigned and his MMM coalition partner, Paul Bérenger, became prime minister. Bérenger became the first person not of Indian descent to hold the post. The following month Offman was succeeded as president by Jugnauth. In the July, 2005, national assembly elections, Ramgoolam's Labor-led Social Alliance won a majority of the seats, and he became prime minister.

Bibliography

See S. Selvon, Historical Dictionary of Mauritius (2d ed. 1991); M. J. Devaux, Mauritius (1983); L. Bowman, Mauritius (1991); P. R. Bennett, Mauritius (1992).

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Mauritius

 officially Republic of Mauritius

Island country, lying east of Madagascar in the western 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 (2005 est.): 1,245,000. Capital: Port Louis. About two-thirds of the population are of South Asian descent, and most of the rest are of mixed European, South Asian, and African ancestry. Languages: English (official), Creole (lingua franca), various ethnic languages. Religions: Hinduism, Christianity, Islam. Currency: Mauritian rupee. Volcanic in origin and almost surrounded by coastal reefs, Mauritius rises to 2,710 ft (826 m) at Petite Rivière Noire Peak. The chief water source is Lake Vacoas. About half of the land is arable; sugarcane is the major crop, though the government has sponsored agricultural diversification. The country depends heavily 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 for 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 economic activity, 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 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 has successfully diversified its economy, notably into clothing manufacturing.

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Mauritius

an island and state in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar: originally uninhabited, it was settled by the Dutch (1638--1710) then abandoned; taken by the French in 1715 and the British in 1810; became an independent member of the Commonwealth in 1968. It is economically dependent on sugar. Official language: English; a French creole is widely spoken. Religion: Hindu majority, large Christian minority. Currency: rupee. Capital: Port Louis. Pop.: 1 233 000 (2004 est.). Area: 1865 sq. km (720 sq. miles)