Mauritius is a picturesque island located in the Indian Ocean about 2400km from the South East coast of Africa. Discovered by the Portuguese in 1507, Mauritius was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence was attained on the 12th March 1968. Mauritius is part of the Commonwealth and has a stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, this has helped to attract considerable foreign investment and has earned Mauritius one of Africa's highest per capita incomes.

Mauritius covers an area of 2,040km2 and has a population of approximately 1.2million people. Mauritius is a country of diverse culture owing to many years of immigration into the country principally from Europe, Asia and Mainland Africa. Many languages are spoken throughout the island, English is the official language though French is also widely spoken and most of the population speak a local dialect of Creole together with native languages of Hindi, Urdu, Telegu, Hakka and Bhojpuri. The major religions are Hindu (52%), Christianity (28.3%) and Islam (16.6%).

Area:	2,040 km square
Population:	1,210,447
Capital:	Port Louis
Government type:	Parliamentary democracy
Religions:	Hindu 52%, Christian 28.3% (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%), Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%
Languages:	English (official), Creole, French (official), Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri
Literacy:	85.6 %
Life Expectancy :	71.8 yrs.
GDP:	$12.15 billion ($10,100 / per capita)
Natural Resources:	Arable land, fish
Industries:	Food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, non-electrical machinery; tourism
Agriculture Foods:	Sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish
Exports:	$1.6 billion f.o.b. Clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses
Export Partners :	UK 27.7%, France 25.5%, US 16.4%, Madagascar 6.2%, Belgium 5%
Imports:	$1.8 billion f.o.b. Manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Import Partners:	France 18.4%, South Africa 13.5%, India 7.8%, China 4.5%, UK 4.2%
UN Membership:	24 April, 1968