is mauritius an african country

[76][77], Mauritius adopted a new constitution, and independence was proclaimed on 12 March 1968. [38] Two famous French governors were the Vicomte de Souillac (who constructed the Chausse in Port Louis[39] and encouraged farmers to settle in the district of Savanne) and Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux (who saw to it that the French in the Indian Ocean should have their headquarters in Mauritius instead of Pondicherry in India). Mauritius has a single first-order administrative division, the Outer Islands of Mauritius (French: les parses de Maurice), which consists of the islands of Mauritius and several outlying islands. Introduction to the Republic of Mauritius", "President's Report of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation dated March 2016", "Welcome to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) In The Field Mauritius Mauritius Fruit Bat", "Mauritius's air quality 2nd best in world", "Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity Supplementary Material", "Oil spill threatens ecological disaster as Mauritius declares emergency", "UN Human Rights Committee criticises Best Loser System", "IBRAHIM INDEX OF AFRICAN GOVERNANCE 2018", "National lists of precedence of Mauritius", "Background Note: Mauritius Scoop News", "Embassy of the Republic of Mauritius Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia", "Presentation of Credentials of Ambassador Showkutally Soodhun, GCSK to the Kingdom of Bahrain", "A critical appraisal of the Best Loser System", "Party cooperation and the electoral system in Mauritius", "Testament of A Hindocreole or Who Are We Really? He managed to escape from prison and plotted a rebellion that would free the island's slaves. [129] The resolution also has immediate practical consequences: the UN, its specialised agencies, and all other international organisations are now bound, as a matter of UN law, to support the decolonisation of Mauritius even if the UK claim that it has no doubt about its sovereignty. At Jugnauth's request, PM Indira Gandhi of India planned an armed intervention involving the Indian Navy and Indian Army to prevent a coup under the code name Operation Lal Dora.[84][85][86]. The warmest months are January and February with average day maximum temperature reaching 29.2C (84.6F) and the coolest months are July and August with average overnight minimum temperatures of 16.4C (61.5F). It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Agalga and St. [11] Since 1971, only the atoll of Diego Garcia is inhabited, home to some 3,000 UK and US military and civilian contracted personnel. On 24 March 1943, the Mauritius Regiment, was created as an imperial unit and a new subsidiary of the East Africa Command (EAC), that could be used anywhere whereas previously Mauritian troops were only used for domestic affairs and garrisoning. Mauritian Creole is a mix of Asian and African, with a French influence. [110] Just off the Mauritian coast lie some 49 uninhabited islands and islets, several of which have been declared natural reserves for endangered species. On 12 March 1992, twenty-four years after independence, Mauritius was proclaimed a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. In fact, the 19141918 war was a period of great prosperity, due to a boom in sugar prices. [81], In May 1975, a student revolt that started at the University of Mauritius swept across the country. British naval cartographer and explorer Matthew Flinders was arrested and detained by General Decaen on the island from 1803 to 1810,[41][42] in contravention of an order from Napolon. Mah de La Bourdonnais established Port Louis as a naval base and a shipbuilding centre. Prominent Mauritian painters include Henri Le Sidaner, Malcolm de Chazal, Raouf Oderuth and Vaco Baissac. [116] A co-management treaty was reached by France and Mauritius in 2010 but has not been ratified. [40], In 1911, there were riots in Port Louis due to a false rumour that Dr. Eugne Laurent had been murdered by the oligarchs in Curepipe. [175], The O-Level and A-Level examinations are carried out by the University of Cambridge through University of Cambridge International Examinations in collaboration with the MES. They are guest edited by Nanjala Nyabola. In the post-war recession, there was a sharp drop in sugar prices. 4. The capital is Port Louis. Total private wealth held in Africa amounts to approximately USD2 trillion as at December 2020. [195] The country has built up a solid reputation by making use of best practices and adopting a strong legal and regulatory framework to demonstrate its compliance with international demands for greater transparency. Before the Portuguese arrival in 1507, there were no terrestrial mammals on the island. [120] Mauritius has repeatedly asserted that the separation of its territories is a violation of United Nations resolutions banning the dismemberment of colonial territories before independence and claims that the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius under both Mauritian law and international law. In 1886, Governor John Pope Hennessy nominated Gnanadicarayen Arlanda as the first ever Indo-Mauritian member of the ruling council despite the sugar oligarchy's preference for rival Indo-Mauritian Emile Sandapa. Mauritius is southeast of Africa and southwest of Asia. In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion ordering the UK to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, and in 2021, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruled in support of this, saying that the UK has "no sovereignty over the Chagos Islands".[21]. Industrialisation began to spread to villages as well, and attracted young workers from all ethnic communities. More recent years have witnessed the demolition of plantations, residences, and civic buildings as they have been cleared or drastically renovated for new developments to serve an expanding tourism industry. There was also a boom in the tourism industry, and new hotels sprang up throughout the island. Mauritius ranked second in an air quality index released by the World Health Organization in 2011. [61][62] Social worker and leader of the Jan Andolan movement Basdeo Bissoondoyal organised the funeral ceremonies of the 4 dead labourers. It is the only nation in Africa with Hindu as the major religion. According to the 2011 census, Bhojpuri was spoken by 5% of the population compared to 12% in 2000.[7]. In 1959, Harold Macmillan had made his famous "Wind of Change Speech" in which he acknowledged that the best option for Britain was to give complete independence to its colonies. Brandon. Constitutional conferences were held in London in 1955 and 1957, and the ministerial system was introduced. The first phase has begun since 2020 and the second phase has been completed in 2021. They worked on sugar estates, factories, in transport and on construction sites. FDI directed in Mauritius from Africa represented 18% of the total Rs 102 billion received by the country from 2015 to 2020. Other religious groups can register and be tax-exempt but receive no financial support. Why Mauritius the best African country. [65][66], Guy Rozemont's Labour Party won the majority of the votes[67] with 11 of the 19 elected seats won by Hindus. The island nation is located in the intersection of the African continent and the Asian continent and has a fusion of different languages, religions, and cultures. Mauritius claims sovereignty over Tromelin island, though it is registered as a part of France. Sea temperature in the lagoon varies from 2227C (7281F). [137] It had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.46/10, ranking it 100th globally out of 172 countries. Article 8 of the Treaty of Paris stipulate the cession by France to Britain of Isle de France "and its dependencies, namely Rodrigues and the Seychelles". The Portuguese did not stay long as they were not interested in these islands.[30]. [60] This became known as the 1943 Belle Vue Harel Massacre. The island is best known as the only home of the dodo, which was sighted by Europeans around 1600. O-Level and A-Level Exams are organised in public and government subsidised private schools in English by Cambridge International Examinations while paid private schools mostly follow the French Baccalaureate model. Mauritius is also commonly known as Maurice (pronounced[mis]) and le Maurice in French, Moris (pronounced[mois]) in Mauritian Creole.[29]. There are 2 seasons: a warm humid summer from November to April, with a mean temperature of 24.7C (76.5F) and a relatively cool dry winter from June to September with a mean temperature of 20.4C (68.7F). Additionally, Black River Gorges National Park is currently in the UNESCO tentative list.[200]. [40] Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen was a successful general in the French Revolutionary Wars and, in some ways, a rival of Napolon I. The capital city is Port Louis. [13], On 20 December 2010, Mauritius initiated proceedings against the United Kingdom under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to challenge the legality of the Chagos Marine Protected Area (MPA), which the UK purported to declare around the Chagos Archipelago in April 2010. Mauritius is 2,000km (1,200mi) off the southeast coast of Africa, between latitudes 1958.8'S and 2031.7'S and longitudes 5718.0'E and 5746.5'E. I didn't think to check whether it was a part of intergovernmental organisations, that's very helpful. The Colonial Office noted that politics of a communal nature was gaining ground in Mauritius and that the choice of candidates (by parties) and the voting behaviour (of electors) were governed by ethnic and caste considerations. Relations with India are very strong for both historical and commercial reasons. Rodrigues Island was named after Portuguese explorer Diogo Rodrigues, who first came upon the island in 1528. Editorial credit: MDart10 / Shutterstock.com The 1920s saw the rise of a "retrocessionism" movement, which favoured the retrocession of Mauritius to France. Travel Facts Africa Demographic Atlas View All Files Locator Map View Details Introduction Background Although known to Arab and European sailors since at least the early 1500s, the island of Mauritius was uninhabited until 1638 when the Dutch established a settlement named in honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU. 3. [47], Two main political parties were active at that time, the pro-Hennessy party being Sir William Newton's Reform Party where as the anti-Hennessy party Democrats was led by Gustave de Coriolis and Onsipho Beaugeard. 0.7% reported themselves as non-religious and 0.1% did not answer. In the same year, 1911, the first public cinema shows took place in Curepipe, and, in the same town, a stone building was erected to house the Royal College. [189], According to the Financial Services Commission, financial and insurance activities contributed to 11.1% of the country's GDP in 2018. [196] In June 2015, Mauritius adhered to the multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, and has an exchange information mechanism with 127 jurisdictions. In 1598 a Dutch squadron under Admiral Wybrand Van Warwyck landed at Grand Port and named the island "Mauritius" after Prince Maurice of Nassau (Dutch: Maurits van Nassau) of the Dutch Republic. Between 1834 and 1921, around half a million indentured labourers were present on the island. The current population of Mauritius is 1,270,454 as of March, 2019, based on the latest United Nations estimates. He ruled as Governor of Isle de France and Runion from 1803 to 1810. Many Mauritians volunteered to fight in Europe against the Germans and in Mesopotamia against the Turks. All the public holidays related to religious festivals have dates that vary from year to year except for Christmas. The 1,400-member Special Mobile Force (SMF) and the 688-member National Coast Guard are the only two paramilitary units in Mauritius. Residents with Indian origins rooted in Hindi, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Tamil, and Telugu make up the majority of the population at 68 percent. To solve the traffic congestion issue, the government has embarked on the Metro Express project. [122][123] At the United Nations and in statements to its Parliament, the UK stated that there was no "permanent population" in the Chagos Archipelago and described the population as "contract labourers" who were relocated. [91] Political power remained with the prime minister. [11][12] Mauritius and France dispute sovereignty over the island of Tromelin as the Treaty of Paris failed to mention it specifically. Under British rule, the island's name reverted to Mauritius /mrs/ (listen). Popular hawker meals include a wrap called dholl puri, rice-based biryani and gteau piment.[208]. [177] Mauritius was ranked 52nd in the Global Innovation Index in 2021, 1st in Africa. However, the labourers of Belle Vue Harel Sugar Estate went on strike on 27 September 1943. Gross Direct Investment flows from Mauritius to Africa reached Rs 10 . Ed Harris/Reuters Blog Post by John. Decolonisation and Indigenous Rights in the Indian Ocean", "The shocking reason there are dogs hanging from a tree in Bristol", "Sixth National Assembly Parliamentary Debates(Hansard)", "UN court rejects UK's claim of sovereignty over Chagos Islands", "At last, the Chagossians have a real chance of going back home", "Chagos Islands: UN officially demands Britain and US withdraw from Indian Ocean archipelago", "Chapter 1. This allowed the evolution of a number of flightless birds and large reptile species. [173] Bhojpuri, once widely spoken as a mother tongue, has become less commonly spoken over the years. The political party or alliance which has the second largest group of representatives forms the Official Opposition and its leader is normally nominated by the President of the Republic as the Leader of the Opposition. 1. Mauritius is a democracy with a government elected every five years. Home Africa Mauritius Maps of Mauritius Districts Map Where is Mauritius? The central plateau is much cooler than the surrounding coastal areas and can experience as much as twice the rainfall. The 1963 election was won by the Labour Party and its allies. The land rises from coastal plains to a central plateau where it reaches a height of 670m (2,200ft); the highest peak is in the south-west, Piton de la Petite Rivire Noire at 828 metres (2,717ft). Mauritius won its first Olympic medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing when boxer Bruno Julie won the bronze medal. It is 65km (40mi) long and 45km (30mi) wide. Agriculture, trade, and natural resources are the major components of the African economy. [75], Later in 1965, after the Lancaster Conference, the Chagos Archipelago was excised from the territory of Mauritius to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Mauritius was never really threatened, but in 1943, several British ships were sunk outside Port Louis by German submarines. Mauritius also includes St Brandon, Agalega, and Rodrigues Islands. Prominent Mauritian writers include Eugnie Poujade, Marie-Thrse Humbert, Malcolm de Chazal, Ananda Devi, Shenaz Patel, Khal Torabully, J. M. G. Le Clzio, Aqiil Gopee and Dev Virahsawmy. Work contracts for these craftsmen were signed in 1734 at the time when they acquired their freedom.[37]. All of the islands forming part of the French colonial territory of Isle de France (as Mauritius was then known) were ceded to the British in 1810 under the Act of Capitulation signed between the two powers. It consists of 70 members, 62 elected for four-year terms in multi-member constituencies and eight additional members, known as "best losers", appointed by the Electoral Service Commission to ensure that ethnic and religious minorities are equitably represented. The islands of Agalga, St Brandon and the Chagos Archipelago were also not specifically mentioned in the Treaty of Paris but became part of the British Colony of Mauritius as they were dependencies of Isle de France at that time. [148], Mauritius has strong and friendly relations with various African, American, Asian, European and Oceanic countries. For other uses, see, Islands of the Republic of Mauritius (excluding Chagos Archipelago and Tromelin Island). The island of Rodrigues is a single district that returns two members. A Constitutional Review Conference was held in London in 1961, and a programme of further constitutional advance was established. In addition, the British authorities in Mauritius had been taking administrative measures with respect to Tromelin over the years; for instance, British officials granted four guano operating concessions on Tromelin island between 1901 and 1951. Mauritius's claim is based on the fact that the transfer of Isle de France and its dependencies to Britain in 1814 was general in nature, that it was beyond those called out in the Treaty of Paris, and that all the dependencies of Isle de France were not specifically mentioned in the Treaty. In golf, the former Mauritius Open and the current AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open have been part of the European Tour. As of 2012, Africa had 1.07 billion people living in the 54 countries of the continent. This article is about the African island nation in the Indian Ocean. From 1767 to 1810, except for a brief period during the French Revolution when the inhabitants set up a government virtually independent of France, the island was controlled by officials appointed by the French government. After a general election, the Electoral Supervisory Commission may nominate up to eight additional members with a view to correct any imbalance in the representation of ethnic minorities in Parliament. [70] Around that time, two eminent British academics, Richard Titmuss and James Meade, published a report of the island's social problems caused by overpopulation and the monoculture of sugar cane. km in the Indian Ocean. The Tribunal's decision determined that the UK's undertaking to return the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius gives Mauritius an interest in significant decisions that bear upon possible future uses of the archipelago. Executive power is exercised by the Government. Observers study the Human Development Index (HDI). This led to an intense campaign to halt the population explosion, and the decade registered a sharp decline in population growth. Chagos was administratively part of Mauritius from the 18th century when the French first settled the islands. Another Portuguese sailor, Dom Pedro Mascarenhas, gave the name Mascarenes to the archipelago. A commission was appointed to look into the complaints made by the Indian immigrants, and in 1872 two lawyers, appointed by the British Crown, were sent from England to make an inquiry. [133], Less than 2% of the native forest now remains, concentrated in the Black River Gorges National Park in the south-west, the Bambous Mountain Range in the south-east, and the Moka-Port Louis Ranges in the north-west. Diego Garcia is in the south-east of the archipelago. Locally made French pastry and bread are sold in most localities. The DMS coordinates for the center of the country are: 20 20' 54.25'' S; 57 33' 7.75'' E; You can see the location of Mauritius on the world map below: The island appears with the Portuguese names Cirne or Do-Cerne on early Portuguese maps, probably from the name of a ship in the 1507 expedition. [183], Mauritius has one of the largest exclusive economic zones in the world, and in 2012 the government announced its intention to develop the marine economy.

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