Mauritius

Mauritius ( mər-ISH-(ee-)əs, mor-; French: Maurice [mɔʁis, moʁis] ; Mauritian Creole: Moris [moʁis]), officially the Republic of Mauritius (French: République de Maurice; Mauritian Creole: Repiblik Moris), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about 2,000 kilometres (1,100 nautical miles) off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius) and Rodrigues, Agaléga, and St. Brandon. The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, along with nearby Réunion (a French overseas department), are part of the Mascarene Islands. The main island of Mauritius, where most of the people live, has the capital and largest city, Port Louis. The country spans 2,040 square kilometres (790 sq mi) and has an exclusive economic zone covering 2,300,000 square kilometres (670,000 square nautical miles). Mauritius is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. It is believed that Arab sailors first discovered the uninhabited island about 975, naming it Dina Arobi. Portuguese sailors visited the uninhabited island in 1507; it was given the Portuguese names Cirne and Do-Cerne on early Portuguese maps. A Dutch fleet, under the command of Admiral Van Warwyck, landed at what is now the Grand Port District and took possession of the island in 1598, renaming the uninhabited islands after Maurice, Prince of Orange. A succession of short-lived Dutch attempts at permanent settlement took place over a century with the aim of exploiting the local ebony forests, and of establishing consistent production of sugar and arrack using cane plant cuttings imported from Java along with over three hundred Malagasy slaves; these efforts finally were abandoned. France took control in 1715, renaming the island "Isle de France". In 1810, the United Kingdom seized the island; four years later, under the Treaty of Paris, France ceded Mauritius and its dependencies to the United Kingdom. The British colony of Mauritius included Rodrigues, Agaléga, St. Brandon, the Chagos Archipelago, and until 1906 the Seychelles. Mauritius and France dispute sovereignty over the island of Tromelin, because the treaty did not mention it specifically. Mauritius became the British Empire's main sugar-producing colony and remained a primarily sugar-dominated plantation-based colony until independence, in 1968.In 1965, the UK split off the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritian territory to create the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). The local population was forcibly expelled and the largest island, Diego Garcia, was leased to the United States. Ruling on the sovereignty dispute between Mauritius and the UK, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has ordered the return of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.Along with the other Mascarene Islands, Mauritius is known for its biodiverse flora and fauna with many species endemic to the country. The main island was the only known home of the dodo, which, along with several other avian species, became extinct soon after human settlement. Other endemic animals, such as the echo parakeet, the Mauritius kestrel and the pink pigeon, have survived and are subject to intensive and successful conservation efforts. Owing to its geographic location and centuries of colonialism, the people of Mauritius are highly diverse in ethnicity, culture, language and faith. It is the only country in Africa where Hinduism is the most practiced religion. Indo-Mauritians make up the bulk of the population with significant Creole, Sino-Mauritian and Franco-Mauritian minorities. The island's government is closely modelled on the Westminster system and Mauritius is highly ranked for economic and political freedom being the only African country ranked as being a full democracy in the Democracy Index. Mauritius is also the continent's only country ranking very high in the Human Development Index. The World Bank classifies the country as having a high-income economy. It ranks highly among the most competitive and most developed economies in Africa. The country is a welfare state; the government provides free universal healthcare, free education up through the tertiary level and free public transportation for students, senior citizens, and the disabled. Mauritius is consistently ranked as the most peaceful African country.