Know your Ambassador-Mauritius

Photo- Ayoub mzee

Head of Mission: HE Mr Abhimanu Mahendra Kundasamy
Address:
32/33 Elvaston Place London SW7 5NW
Telephone: (020) 7581 0294-8
(020) 7584 3666 Tourism Office
Office Hours:
Mon–Fri: 0930–1300 and 1400–1700

COUNTYR PROFILE'

Area: 1,865 sq kmPopulation: 1,250,882 million (2007 est.)Capital City: Port Louis (Pop: 143,600 (2004 est))People: Hindu Indo-Mauritian, 51%; Creoles, 27%; Muslim Indo-Mauritian 17%; Others 5%Languages: English, French, CreoleMain Religion(s): Hinduism (52%); Christianity (28%); Islam (17%)Currency: Mauritian RupeeMajor political parties: Labour Party; Mouvement Socialiste Militant (MSM); Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM); Mauritian Party of Xavier Duval (PMXD).Government: Alliance of Labour plus five smaller PartiesHead of State: HE Sir Anerood Jugnauth KCMG PC QCPrime Minister: The Hon Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam (appointed July 2005)Foreign Minister: The Hon Madan DullooMembership of international groupings/organisations: African Union (AU); Non Aligned Movement (NAM); Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Co-operation (IOR-ARC); Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP); Indian Ocean Commission (IOC); Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Commonwealth. GEOGRAPHY Mauritius is a mountainous sub-tropical island in the Indian Ocean, with an area of 1,865 square km. The Republic of Mauritius also includes the island of Rodrigues, 560km east of the principal island, and several much smaller islands. Mauritius lies some 800km to the east of Madagascar. The capital, Port Louis, is in the north west of the island. The temperature range is moderate, from a low of 16ºC in the winter, to 35ºC in summer. Mauritius has a number of micro-climates so weather conditions can vary considerably across the island. The islands are in the Indian Ocean cyclone belt (the season runs from November to April). Most cyclones miss the islands but can bring vital rains at the ideal time for the country's main crop, sugar. Cyclones occasionally cause extensive damage. HISTORY Arab sailors visited Mauritius during the Middle Ages and the Portuguese were probably the first Europeans to land in around 1511 but they did not settle the island. The first colonists were the Dutch who settled in 1638 and named the island Mauritius after Prince Maurice of Nassau. The Dutch, who eventually abandoned Mauritius in about 1710, are remembered for having introduced sugar cane to the island. The French occupied between 1715 and 1810, renaming the country Isle de France. In 1810 the British took possession during the Napoleonic Wars (the French ceded the island under treaty in 1814) and reverted to the name Mauritius. Following the abolition of slavery in 1835, the British imported indentured labour from the Indian subcontinent to work the sugar cane-fields. Mauritius' history is reflected in its ethnic mix and its languages. Although English remains the official language of government and education, French is much more widely used today, especially by the media. Creole (a French-based patois) is the lingua franca. Several Asian languages are also spoken. Mauritius is a generally harmonious multicultural society despite occasional ethnic tension.Mauritius gained independence on 12 March 1968 and became a member of the Commonwealth. The Queen was Head of State until 12 March 1992 when Mauritius became a Republic. POLITICSSince independence in 1968, Mauritius has been a uni-cameral Parliamentary democracy, with an active free press and an independent judiciary. The National Assembly consists of 70 MPs. 62 are directly elected under a first-past-the-post system. The remaining eight are distributed according to a complex Best Loser formula designed to ensure equitable ethnic representation in Parliament.Mauritian governments have been dominated by changing political coalitions. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam was Prime Minister of a Labour-led coalition from 1968 to 1982. He lost the 1982 election to Sir Anerood Jugnauth (leader of the Mauritian Socialist Party and later the MSM Party) who was initially in alliance with Paul Berenger’s MMM until a rift in 1983, then in coalition with rival groups. Sir Anerood dominated the political scene for the next twelve years. In 1995 Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam (son of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam) led his Labour Party to a landslide victory in alliance with the MMM under Paul Berenger. Berenger served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs in the new coalition until Dr Ramgoolam dismissed him in June 1997.Dr Ramgoolam called a snap General Election in August 2000, following allegations of corruption against three of his Ministers. The MSM and MMM combined forces at the last moment to inflict a heavy defeat on the Government, taking 58 out of 70 seats in Parliament. Under the terms of the MMM/MSM agreement, Sir Anerood Jugnauth was Prime Minister for the first three years of the Government's five-year mandate. At the end of September 2003 he became President and was succeeded as Prime Minister by his coalition partner Paul Berenger.Their fortunes were reversed at the July 2005 General Election. It produced a big swing back in favour of the Labour Party who, in alliance with five smaller Parties, returned to power with 42 seats to the MMM/MSM’s 24.

Mauritius Government Web Portal HUMAN RIGHTSRespect for Human Rights is enshrined in the Mauritius Constitution and laws and is generally respected by the authorities, although there are instances of police brutality. A National Human Rights Commission under a High Court Judge has submitted annual reports since 2001. The Government recently opened up radio broadcasting to private operators and intends to do the same for the television industry.Human Rights Annual Report 2006ECONOMY Basic economic facts GDP: US$ 7.135 billion (2006 estimate)Annual Growth: 4.3% (2006 est)Inflation: 8.9% (2006 est)Major Industries: EPZ (Export Processing Zone) enterprises (mainly textiles), tourism, sugar , financial servicesMajor trading partners: (Exports) UK, France, USA; (Imports) France, South Africa, India, China, UKExchange rate: Mauritian Rupees: US$ (av.2005) 29.48Mauritius enjoys a stable and relatively sound economy. But with the decline of its traditional textile and sugar industries, the Government is pushing for diversification of the economy into areas such as IT, business outsourcing (call centres) and seafood. It also aims to maximise the potential in its tourism sector.

IMF Country reports - Mauritius DEVELOPMENT 41% of the population live in urban areas. The rates of adult literacy (over 95% of under 30s) and life expectancy (71 years) are well above the sub-Saharan African average. There are, however, pockets of both urban and rural poverty, the latter notably on Rodrigues.In March 1998, Britain cancelled all outstanding bilateral aid loans to Mauritius (totalling £1.1 million), under a UK initiative to cancel the aid debts of Commonwealth countries. Mauritius benefits from EU development assistance, currently focussed largely on the wastewater sector. The British High Commission funds small projects which meet poverty alleviation and environment criteria . DFID does not have an assistance programme.