| Country
name | conventional
long form: Republic of Mauritius
conventional short form: Mauritius |
| Government type |
parliamentary democracy |
|
Capital |
Port Louis |
|
Administrative divisions |
9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River,
Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems,
Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne |
|
National holiday |
Independence Day, 12 March (1968) |
|
Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
|
Location |
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
|
| Geographic
coordinates |
20 17 S, 57 33 E |
|
Map references |
Political Map of the World |
|
Area |
total: 2,040 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados
Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues
water: 10 sq km
land:
2,030 sq km |
| Area
- comparative |
almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land boundaries |
0 km |
|
Coastline |
177 km |
|
Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and
Definitions) |
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to
the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
| Climate |
tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter
(May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May) |
| Terrain |
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling
central plateau |
| Elevation
extremes | lowest
point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Piton 828 m |
| Natural resources |
arable land, fish |
|
Land use |
arable land: 49.26%
permanent crops: 2.96%
other:
47.78% (2000 est.) |
|
GDP |
purchasing power parity - $15.68 billion (2004 est.) |
| GDP - real growth
rate | 4.7%
(2004 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita |
purchasing power parity - $12,800 (2004 est.) |
| GDP - composition
by sector | agriculture:
7.6%
industry: 30%
services: 62.4% (2004 est.) |
| Labor force
- by occupation |
agriculture and fishing 14%
construction and industry
36%
transportation and communication 7%
trade, restaurants, hotels 16%
finance 3%
other services 24% (1995). |
|
Industries |
food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing;
chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery; tourism.
|
| Agriculture
- products |
sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats;
fish. |
| Exports |
$2.012 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities |
clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses |
| Exports - partners |
UK 30.6%
France 22.7%
US 13.7%
Madagascar 7.7%
(2004). |
| Imports |
$2.245 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities |
manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum
products, chemicals |
|
Imports - partners |
France 13.1%
South Africa 10.8%
India 7.6%
China
5.9%
Germany 4.5%
Singapore 4% (2004) . |
|
Currency |
Mauritian rupee (MUR) |
|
Currency code |
MUR |
|
Exchange rates |
Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003),
29.962 (2002), 29.129 (2001), 26.25 (2000) . |
|
Fiscal year |
1 July - 30 June |
