Match 158 DB Rec# - 7,610 Dataset-WOFACT
Title :Mauritius
Text :
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
Geography
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
Government
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
Economy
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)
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The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995
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