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Mauritius

Geography

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

Map references: World

Area:
total area: 1,860 sq km
land area: 1,850 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than 10.5 times the size of Washington, DC
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues

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

International disputes: claims UK-administered Chagos Archipelago, which includes the island of Diego Garcia in UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory; claims French-administered Tromelin Island

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

Natural resources: arable land, fish

Land use:
arable land: 54%
permanent crops: 4%
meadows and pastures: 4%
forest and woodland: 31%
other: 7%

Irrigated land: 170 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: water pollution
natural hazards: cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection

People

Population: 1,127,068 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (female 152,892; male 158,891)
15-64 years: 66% (female 376,049; male 372,910)
65 years and over: 6% (female 39,088; male 27,238) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.89% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 18.91 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 6.38 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 17.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.84 years
male: 66.9 years
female: 74.95 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Mauritian(s)
adjective: Mauritian

Ethnic divisions: 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: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population: 80%
male: 85%
female: 75%

Labor force: 335,000
by occupation: government services 29%, agriculture and fishing 27%, manufacturing 22%, other 22%

Government

Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius
conventional short form: Mauritius

Digraph: MP

Type: parliamentary democracy

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 Cassam UTEEM (since 1 July 1992); Vice President Rabindranath GHURBURRON (since 1 July 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 12 June 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Prem NABABSING (since 26 September 1990)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime minister

Legislative branch: unicameral
Legislative Assembly: elections last held on 15 September 1991 (next to be held by 15 September 1996); results - MSM/MMM 53%, MLP/PMSD 38%; seats - (66 total) MSM/MMM alliance 59 (MSM 29, MMM 26, OPR 2, MTD 2), MLP/PMSD 4 (MLP 3, PMSD 1); note - the Supreme Court denied the assignment of 3 seats to the MSM

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
government coalition: Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), A. JUGNAUTH; Mauritian Militant Resurgence (RMM), Prem NABABSING (less 10 legislators under the leadership of Paul BERENGER, now voting with the opposition); Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD), X. DUVAL; Organization of the People of Rodrigues (OPR), Louis Serge CLAIR; Democratic Labor Movement (MTD), Anil BAICHOO
opposition: Mauritian Labor Party (MLP), Navin RAMGOOLMAN; MMM-Berenger Faction, Paul BERENGER; Socialist Workers Front, Sylvio MICHEL

Other political or pressure groups: various labor unions

Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Leslie M. ALEXANDER
embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [230] 208-9763 through 9767
FAX: [230] 208-9534

Flag: 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 middle income diversified economy with growing industrial 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 40% 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 1991-93 continued strong with solid real growth and low unemployment.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $9.3 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: 4.7% (1993 est.)

National product per capita: $8,600 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.4% (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate: 2.4% (1991 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $653 million
expenditures: $567 million, including capital expenditures of $143 million (FY92/93 est.)

Exports: $1.32 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: textiles 44%, sugar 40%, light manufactures 10%
partners: EC and US have preferential treatment, EC 77%, US 15%

Imports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: manufactured goods 50%, capital equipment 17%, foodstuffs 13%, petroleum products 8%, chemicals 7%
partners: EC, US, South Africa, Japan

External debt: $996.8 million (1993 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 5.8% (1992); accounts for 25% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 340,000 kW
production: 920 million kWh
consumption per capita: 777 kWh (1993)

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

Agriculture: accounts for 10% of GDP; about 90% of cultivated land in sugarcane; other products - tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses, cattle, goats, fish; net food importer, especially rice and fish

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

Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $76 million; Western (non-US) countries (1970-89), $709 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $54 million

Currency: 1 Mauritian rupee (MauR) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Mauritian rupees (MauRs) per US$1 - 17.755 (January 1995), 17.960 (1994), 17.648 (1993), 15.563 (1992), 15.652 (1991), 14.839 (1990)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Transportation

Railroads: 0 km

Highways:
total: 1,800 km
paved: 1,640 km
unpaved: earth 160 km

Ports: Port Louis

Merchant marine:
total: 16 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 191,703 GRT/297,347 DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 8, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 1, passenger-cargo 1

Airports:
total: 5
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1

Communications

Telephone system: over 48,000 telephones; small system with good service
local: NA
intercity: utilizes primarily microwave radio relay
international: 1 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth station; new microwave link to Reunion; high-frequency radio links to several countries

Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0
radios: NA

Television:
broadcast stations: 4
televisions: NA

Defense Forces

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

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 321,947; males fit for military service 163,904 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $11.2 million, 0.4% of GDP (FY92/93)

Copyright © 1996, The Emerging Markets Companion, Inc.The information herein was obtained from sources which The Emerging Markets Companion, Inc. and its suppliers believe reliable, but they do not guarantee its accuracy. Neither the information, nor any opinion expressed, constitutes a solicitation of the purchase or sale of any securities or commodities.