About Mauritius

CAPITAL : Port Louis (Main Port)

FLAG : The national flag consists of four horizontal stripes of red, blue, yellow, and green.

ANTHEM : Glory to Thee, Motherland, O Motherland of Mine.

MONETARY UNIT : The Mauritius rupee (Rs).

TIME : 4 p.m. = noon GMT.

LOCATION, SIZE, AND EXTENT

Mauritius is situated in the Indian Ocean, about 900 km (559 miles) of Madagascar and 2,000 km (1,250 miles) off the nearest point of the African coast. The island of Rodrigues, an integral part of Mauritius, is located about 560 km (350 miles) off its North-eastern coast. Mauritius has a total area of about 7788 sq km (2,040 sq miles), of which the island of Mauritius occupies 1,860 sq km (720 sq miles); the island of Rodrigues, 110 sq km (42.5 sq miles); and the other offshore islands, 71 sq km (27 sq miles). Comparatively, the area occupied by Mauritius is slightly less than 10.5 times the size of Washington, DC. The capital city of Mauritius, Port Louis, is located on the island's North-west coast.

TOPOGRAPHY
Mauritius is mostly of volcanic formation and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs. A coastal plain rises sharply to a plateau 275 to 580 m (900–1,900 ft) high. Piton de la Rivière Noire, the highest peak, reaches 828 m (2,717 ft). The longest river is the Grand River South East, which stretches from the center of the country to the central eastern border with a distance of 40 km (29 mi).

CLIMATE
The subtropical maritime climate is humid, with prevailing southeast winds.

TEMPERATURE RANGES
At sea level: from 18° to 30°c (64–86°f). On the central plateau: from 13° to 26°c (55–79°f). Warmest season lasts from October to April, the coolest from June to September. From October to March, southeast trade winds bring heavy rains to the central plateau and windward slopes. Daily showers occur from April to September and occasional tropical cyclones between December and April.

The population of Mauritius is estimated to be approximately 1,303,717 in July 2011.

AGE STRUCTURE
0-14 years: 21.8% (male 145,185/female 139,579)
15-64 years: 70.7% (male 457,743/female 463,875)
65 years and over: 7.5% (male 38,944/female 58,391)

MEDIAN AGE
Total: 32.7 years, Male: 31.9 years and Female: 33.6 years
Population growth rate at 0.729% and a life expectancy at birth of:
Total population: 74.48 years, Male: 71.01 years and Female: 78.12 years.

NATIONALITY
Noun: Mauritian(s)
Adjective: Mauritian

ETHNIC GROUPS & RELIGIONS
The largest group on Mauritius—about 68% of the population—is Indo-Mauritian, consisting of immigrants from India and their descendants. About 27% of the islanders are Creole (mixed European and African), 3% Sino-Mauritian, and 2% Franco-Mauritian.A multicultural population consisting mainly of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and Roman Catholics.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
English is the official language; however, Creole, derived from French, is the most widely spoken (by 80.5% of the population). The total population literacy rate is of 84.4%.