Republic of Mauritius

President: Anerood Jugnauth (2003)

Prime Minister: Navin Ramgoolam (2005)

Land area: 784 sq mi (2,030 sq km); total area: 788 sq mi (2,040 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 1,240,827 (growth rate: 0.8%); birth rate: 15.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 14.6/1000; life expectancy: 72.6; density per sq mi: 1,738

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Port Louis, 577,200 (metro. area), 143,800 (city proper)

Monetary unit: Mauritian rupee

Languages: English less than 1% (official), Creole 81%, Bojpoori 12%, French 3% (2000)

Ethnicity/race: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%

Religions: Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 24%, other Christian 8%, Islam 17% (2000)

Literacy rate: 86% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $16.28 billion; per capita $ $13,200 . Real growth rate: 3.1%. Inflation: 5.6%. Unemployment: 10.5%. Arable land: 49%. Agriculture: sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish. Labor force: 570,000; construction and industry 36%, services 24%, agriculture and fishing 14%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, transportation and communication 7%, finance 3% (1995). Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism. Natural resources: arable land, fish. Exports: $1.949 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses. Imports: $2.507 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals. Major trading partners: UK, France, U.S., Madagascar, Italy, South Africa, China, India, Bahrain, Japan (2004).

Member of Commonwealth of Nations

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 280,900 (2000); mobile cellular: 180,000 (2000). Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2002). Radios: 420,000 (1997). Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus several repeaters) (1997). Televisions: 258,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000). Internet users: 158,000 (2002).

Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 1,926 km; paved: 1,868 km (including 44 km of expressways); unpaved: 58 km (2000). Ports and harbors: Port Louis. Airports: 5 (2002).

International disputes: Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation in 2001; claims French-administered Tromelin Island.


 

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