The island of Mauritius is situated in the South West Indian Ocean just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, in latitude 20°South and longitude 57°35 East.

Mauritius is 45 km wide and 65 km long with a surface area of 1865 square km. The highest point of the island is Le Piton de la Rivière Noire with 827m, the Central Plateau elevates at 600m.

The republic of Mauritius includes Rodrigues island which is situated 560 km to its north-east, and other scattered islands such as Agalega and Cargodos Carajos (St.Brandon).

The nearest continent to Mauritius is Africa with Mombassa at some 1800 km away, Europe with Paris at some 11,000 km, Asia with Mumbai at some 4,700 km, Australia with Sydney at some 23,000 km.

Mauritius is an all-year-round tropical island resort it enjoys a mild climate and pleasant temperatures which varies between 15°c and 27°c on the central plateau and between 17°c to 32°c on the central area. On coastal areas, the temperature is usually 3°c to 5°c higher with the western and northern regions warmer and drier; there are no well-defined rainy/wet and dry seasons.

The sea temperature varies between 22°c in winter and 27°c in summer. The cyclonic season is from November to April. Summer is from November to April with Sunrise at 5h00 and Sunset at 19h00. Winter is from May to October with Sunrise at 6h00 and Sunset at 18h00.



History

9th century Arabs Discovered Mauritius

16th century Portuguese Visited Mauritius

1598 The Dutch who were the first to colonise Mauritius, named it after their ruler, Prince Maurice Van Nassau
Ebony forests were destroyed by overexploitation and the dodo was exterminated. It later became the symbol of endangered animal species and conservation worldwide

1710 Dutch Left Mauritius

1715 French took possession of the island and re-named it 'Isle de France'.

1721 Governor Mahe de Labourdonnais founded Port Louis, which later became the capital.
He turned the island into a prosperous French colony and a port of call on the sea journey from Europe to the Far- East round the Cape of Good Hope. He established Port Louis as a naval base and built roads and bridges. Among his other achievements, one can mention the Government House, the Line Barracks, and Chateau Mon Plaisir at Pamplemousses Botanical Gardens. Nowadays, Labourdonnais statue still stands guard facing Port Louis harbour

1810 Major naval battle took place in Grand Port on the south-east coast of the island. It was the only naval battle won by Napoleon, and is thus, duly engraved on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. However, three months later, the British launched a surprise attack from the north of the island and the French governor General Charles Decaen surrendered.

1814 The 1814 Treaty of Paris ratified the cession of Mauritius and its dependencies, Rodrigues and Seychelles, to the British. But Réunion Island, which was also captured by the British, was returned to France
The island took its former name of Mauritius, and English became the official language. However, according to the Treaty of Paris, the population was to keep its language, its religion and its laws. This is the reason why French is still widely spoken despite the fact that the British ruled the island for 158 years.

1835 British Abolished Slavery
As the newly freed slaves refused to work in the plantations, indentured labourers were brought in from India. Chinese and Muslim traders were also attracted to these shores. Hence the melting pot which now constitutes the population of Mauritius.

1968 Mauritius gained its Independence
Sir Seewosagur Ramgoolam became the first Prime Minister.
Mauritius still forms part of the British Commonwealth and follows the Westminster pattern of Government

1992 Mauritius became a Republic.

For more infos Mauritius Tourism Office