Flags of the World > Mauritius Flag
Brief History. The Dutch discovered the uninhabited islands in 1507 but never established settlements to any great extent. The French arrived in 1721, establishing plantations with slave labor from Africa. The British captured Mauritius in 1810. When the empire abolished slavery in 1834, laborers from India were brought in to work the sugar cane plantations. The country became a parliamentary democracy within the British Commonwealth, and nearly a quarter of a century later, it became a republic.
|
|
|
Country Information
Local name: Mauritius Capital: Port Louis Population: 1,240,827 Government: parliamentary democracy Currency: Mauritian rupee (MUR) Land size: 2,040 sq km Topography: small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau Typical foods: Major exports: clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses |
Information on the People
Official language: Creole 80.5% Other languages spoken: Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% Religions: Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% Literacy rate: 85.6% Male/Female Ratio: 0.97 male(s) to every 1 female Life expectancy: 72.63 years Ethnic groups: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2% Internet users: 180,000 Famous people: |
<< Previous Flag: Mauritania Flag | Next Flag: Mayotte Flag >>
Copyright 2006 - 2009. Banners of the World. All rights reserved.