Name of territory:

Mauritius (English)
Ile Maurice (French)

Location:

South-west region of the Indian Ocean, at about 2’000 km from the African coast and 900 km from Madagascar.

Geographic coordinates:

20° 17' S, 57° 33' E

Total area:

1’865 km2

Dependancies:

Rodrigues, St-Brandon and Agalega

Climate:

Tropical. 25 to 35°C during the southern summer (from November to April), risks of cyclones from January to March. More pleasant in winter, 18 to 25°C (from June to September).

Highest point:

Piton de la Rivière-Noire, 828 m.

Capital:

Port-Louis

Population:

About 1'200'000 inhabitants

Density of population:

643 inhabitants/km2

Head of state:

Sir Anerood Jugnauth, President
Docteur Navin Ramgoolam, head of government (Prime Minister)

Statute:

Independant Republic

Religion:

Hindu 52%, Christian 28%, Muslim 16%, other 4%

Official language:

English

Spoken languages:

Creole, French, English, Hindi or other Oriental languages.

National Day:

12 March, Independance Day

Flag:

4 horizontal stripes: red, blue, yellow, green

Time zone:

GMT +3 heures in summer
GMT +4 heures in winter

How to get there:

Several flights per week (Air Mauritius, Air France, British Airways, LTU, etc).

Passport / visa:

Valid passport and return ticket are necessary for all visitors.

Vaccinations:

No vaccination is required.

Money:

Mauritian Rupee
1 Euro = 43 RS
1 £ = 62 RS

Electric current:

220 volts

Accomodation:

Hotel, flat, villa or guesthouse.

Food:

Creole, Indian, Chinese and European food.

Shops / shopping / souvenirs:

Fabrics, clothes, spices, scale model boats and local (or from Madagascar) handicraft: baskets, statuettes, masks, tom-toms, etc.

Nightlife:

There is not much nightlife. Restaurants, bars and discotheques. Cinemas, only in the region of Port-Louis, Rose-Hill, Curepipe and Mahebourg. Performances of traditional music and dancing (sega) in hotels.