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Mauritius


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Mauritius

Land Area 2030km²
Land Area + Seaarea
Population 1274189
Population density 627.7 / km²

Informations

Mauritius ( (listen) mə-RISH-(ee-)əs, maw-; French: Maurice [mɔʁis, moʁis] (listen); Creole: Moris [moʁis]), officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) off the south-west coast of the African continent. The country includes the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, Agaléga and St. Brandon. Mauritius and Rodrigues' islands form part of the Mascarene Islands, along with neighboring Réunion. Largest city and the capital, Port Louis, is located on the island of Mauritius. The nation is 2,040 square kilometres (790 sq mi) in area, while its Exclusive Economic Zone covers 2.3 million square kilometres.In 1598, the Dutch took possession of Mauritius, abandoning the island at 1710; the French took control in 1715, renaming it Isle de France. France officially ceded Mauritius including all its dependencies to the United Kingdom (UK) through the Treaty of Paris, signed on 30 May 1814 and where Réunion was returned to France. The British colony of Mauritius consisted of the island of Mauritius along with St Brandon, Agalega, Rodrigues, Tromelin and the Chagos Archipelago, although the Seychelles became a separate colony in 1906. The sovereignty of Tromelin is disputed between Mauritius and France as some of the islands like St. Brandon, Chagos, Agalega and Tromelin Weren't specifically mentioned in the Treaty of Paris.In 1965, three years prior to the independence of Mauritius, the UK split the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritian land, and the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches in the Seychelles, to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). The UK forcibly leased its largest island, Diego Garcia and expelled the local population of the archipelago. Access has been restricted by the UK it was prohibited to the media, tourists, and its former inhabitants. The sovereignty of the Chagos is disputed between Mauritius and the UK. In February 2019, in an opinion the UK was ordered to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius back as quickly as possible, to be able to finish the decolonisation of Mauritius. The people of Mauritius are multi-religious multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual. The island's government is closely modelled on the Westminster system, and Mauritius is highly ranked for political and economic freedom and for democracy. Mauritius is categorised as"large" in the Human Development Index. According to the World Bank, the nation has an upper-middle-income market. Mauritius is ranked as among the most developed markets in the region and the most competitive. The nation is a welfare state; the government offers universal healthcare, free education up to tertiary level and free public transportation for the disabled, senior citizens, and students. Mauritius was ranked among the safest or nations by the International Peace Index 2019. Along with the other Mascarene Islands, Mauritius is known for its flora and fauna, with many species endemic to the island. The island was the only known home of the dodo, which, together with many other avian species, was made extinct by activities shortly after the settlement of the island. Mauritius is the only country in Africa in which Hinduism is the largest religion. The administration uses English as its primary language.

Source: Wikipedia