Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates: 20 17 S, 57 33 E

Map references: World

Area:
total: 1,860 sq km
land: 1,850 sq km
water: 10 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues

Area - comparative: almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 177 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 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 : Piton de la Petite Riviere Noire 828 m

Natural resources: arable land, fish

Land use:
arable land: 49%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 23% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 170 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards

Environment - current issues: water pollution

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Population: 1,200,206 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.4% (male 153,810; female 150,464)
15-64 years : 68.3% (male 409,028; female 411,070)
65 years and over: 6.3% (male 30,170; female 45,664) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.86% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 16.34 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 6.81 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) )

Net migration rate: -0.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years : 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 16.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.53 years
male: 67.54 years
female : 75.58 years (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Nationality:
noun : Mauritian(s)
adjective: Mauritian

Ethnic groups: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%

Religions: Hindu 52%, Christian 28.3% (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%), Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%

Languages: English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.9%
male : 87.1%
female: 78.8% (1995 est.)

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius
conventional short form : Mauritius

Data code: MP

Government type: parliamentary democracy

National capital: Port Louis

Administrative divisions: 9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne

Independence: 12 March 1968 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 12 March (1968)

Constitution: 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992

Legal system: based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Karl OFFMANN (since 25 February 2002) and Vice President Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 17 September 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister Paul BERENGER (since 17 September
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 25 February 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly
election results : Karl OFFMANN elected president and Raouf BUNDHUN elected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (66 seats; 62 elected by popular vote, 4 appointed by the election commission from the losing political parties to give representation to various ethnic minorities; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next to be held by September 2005)
election results:percent of vote by party - MSM/MMM 52.3%, MLP/PMSD 36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party - MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6, OPR 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
government coalition : Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] - in coalition with MSM; Mauritian Militant Renaissance or MMR [Dr. Paramhansa NABABSING]; Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH] - governing party; Rodrigues Movement or OPR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]

Political pressure groups and leaders: various labor unions

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH
chancery: Suite 441, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission : (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Bisa WILLIAMS
embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis
mailing address: International Mail: P.O. Box 544, Port Louis; US Mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450
telephone : [230] 208-2347, 208-2354, 208-9763 through 9767
FAX: [230] 208-9534

Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green

Economy - overview: Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low income, agriculturally based economy to a middle income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial services, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been of the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on industrialization (with a view to modernization and to exports), agricultural diversification, and tourism. Economic performance in 1991-96 continued strong with solid growth and low unemployment.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.9 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,800 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture:6%
industry : 33%
services: 61% (1999 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 4.2% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
total : 514,000 (1995)
by occupation: construction and industry 36%, services 24%, agriculture and fishing 14%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, transportation and communication 7%, finance 3% (1995)

Unemployment rate: 8.6% (2001 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.1 billion
expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, wearing apparel; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 8% (2000 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 235,000 kW (1991)

Electricity - production: 1.285 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 1.195 billion kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish

Exports:
total value: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
commodities: clothing and textiles 67%, sugar 25%
partners: UK 25.8%, France 20.8%, US 16.0%, South Africa 10.9%, Germany, Italy (2000 est.)

Imports:
total value: $2 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
commodities : manufactured goods 50%, capital equipment 17%, foodstuffs 13%, petroleum products 8%, chemicals 7%
partners: South Africa 20.0%, France 19.0%, India 9.0%, Hong Kong 5.2%, UK (2000 est.)

Debt - external:$2.3 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: $42 million (1997)

Currency: 1 Mauritian rupee (MUR) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 30.345 (January 2002), 29.129 (2001), 26.250 (2000), 25.186 (1999), 22.993 (1998), 21.057 (1997)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Telephones: 245,000 (1998)

Telephone system: small system with good service
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries

Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios: 420,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 258,000 (1997)

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total:1,860 km
paved: 1,786 km (including 36 km of expressways)
unpaved : 74 km (2001)

Ports and harbors: Port Louis

Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 66,004 GRT/90,017 DWT
ships by type : cargo 2, combination bulk 2, container 2, refrigerated cargo 2
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience:, Belgium 1, India 3, Norway 1, Switzerland 2 (2002 est.)

Airports: 5 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: : 1
914 to 1,523 m : 1 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m : 1
under 914 m: 2 (2001)

Military branches: National Police Force (includes the paramilitary Special Mobile Force or SMF, Special Support Units or SSU, and National Coast Guard)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 340,050 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males : 171,239 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $9.1 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.2% (FY01)

Disputes - international: claims the island of Diego Garcia in UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory; claims French-administered Tromelin Island

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; heroin consumption and transshipment are growing problems