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Mauritius, a Nations Online nation profile of the tiny distant archipelago in the Indian Ocean in eastern- southern Africa. The island country is arranged around 900 km (560 mi) east of Madagascar and 180 km (110 mi) northeast of the French Réunion.

The country includes many islands of volcanic origin. Besides Mauritius’s main island, Rodrigues Island is 600 km away toward the east and two external islands, Agaléga, 1065 km toward the north, and the uninhabited archipelago Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), 430 km toward the north-east.

Mauritius, Rodrigues, and Réunion have a place with the Mascarene Islands, with Mauritius being the biggest. The island is around 60 km long and 42 km wide, with an area of 1,864 km²; in comparison, it is smaller than Tenerife or almost as significant as Maui, Hawaii.

The archipelago has a population of 1.37 million (in 2020). The island state is the country that has the highest population density in Africa. Practically the entire population lives in Mauritius. The capital Port Louis. Spoken languages are Morisien, English, and French. Morrison is the Creole language based on French and is used by almost the entire population in regular life.

The sparsely populated and separated 108 km² (42 sq mi) large island of Rodrigues is of volcanic origin and almost 500 km from the primary island in the Indian Sea.

What is Mauritius famous for?

Mauritius is famous for the Dodo (an extinct flightless bird the size of a swan), a multicultural population, Awesome expensive resorts. The island caters for the more rich customers, sugar and fruit jams, Mauritius rum, the 7 Coloured Earths, the Giant water lilies in the Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, an underwater waterfall, revenue drum and Sega music, and excellent golf courses.

 CLIMATE:

Tropical, modified by south-east trade winds; warm, dry winter (May-November); hot, wet, moist summer (November-May); Natural hazards: tropical cyclones (November to April), most storms generally occur from the end of December until March. Mauritius has just two seasons, winter and summer. There isn’t a lot of temperature contrast between the two periods of the year. The climate on the central plateau is more excellent than on the coastal areas.

The hottest part is the west coast

The windiest part is the East coast

December to February are the hottest months of the year

October is the driest month of the year 

The most excellent months are from June to August.

TRANSPORT:

By plane

Air Mauritius is the national carrier.

The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, (airportinfo@aml.mru.aero, fax: +230 637 5306),  at Plaisance in the south-east of the island is the major gateway for travellers coming from abroad.  

Air Mauritius is the home carrier and operates a channel of routes to the local islands and worldwide destinations in Africa, Australia, Europe and Asia.

Regional airlines: Air Austral, Air Madagascar and Air Seychelles International airlines such as Air France connect Mauritius with the surrounding islands.

Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Austrian Airlines, Condor, British Airways, Condor, Meridiana, South African Airways, and Corsairfly all serve Mauritius from their home bases.

The arrivals hall can get rather congested in the morning when most of the flights from Europe arrive. Immigration officers tend to be relatively slow, and the whole immigration process can be an irritating experience.

Visitors are required to provide accommodation details to the immigration service on arrival. Arrive in Mauritius from a country where malaria is endemic. You may receive a government health service visit and be required to give a blood sample for malaria screening.

 By sea

Vessels that reach the port are mainly cargo ships. The Mauritius Pride and the Trochetia are the Mauritian vessels that usually sail to and from Reunion Island, Madagascar and Rodrigues Island. Costa Cruises ships have recently begun an Indian Ocean cruise, including a tour of Mauritius.

As of April 2008, one-way passage prices to travel from Tamatave in Madagascar to Mauritius by boat were €275 first-class or € 255-second class, compared to €212 to fly from Antananarivo on Air Madagascar. The trip takes at least four days, possibly more if transiting through Reunion. A boat departs every other Wednesday.

The prices quoted are for a passage in a first and second class cabin. Visiting the Nautical Club in Tamatave to inquire about yachts heading to Mauritius also yields no results.

PLACES TO VISIT:

  1. Isle aux Cerfs
  2. Black River Gorges National Park
  3. Chamarel Waterfall
  4. Pereybere Beach
  5. Ganga Talao – Grand Bassin
  6. Le Morne Beach
  7. Le Caudan Waterfront
  8. Flic en Flac Beach
  9. Le Morne Brabant
  10. Le Pouce