Mauritius (pronounced: French: L’île Maurice ; Mauritian Creole: Maurice), officially the Republic of Mauritius, French: République de Maurice, is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres (560 mi) east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the Republic includes the islands of St. Brandon, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands. Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands, with the French island of Réunion 200 km (125 mi) to the southwest and the island of Rodrigues 570 km (350 mi) to the northeast.
Together with Réunion and Rodrigues, Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands. This archipelago was formed in a series of undersea volcanic eruptions 8-10 million years ago, as the African plate drifted over the Réunion hotspot. They are no longer volcanically active, and the hotspot now rests under Réunion. The island of Mauritius itself is formed around a central plateau, with its highest peak in the southwest, Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire at 828 metres (2,717 ft). Around the plateau, the original crater can still be distinguished from several mountains.
The local climate is tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; there is a warm, dry winter from May to November and a hot, wet, and humid summer from November to May. Anti-cyclones affect the country during May to September. Cyclones affect the country during November-April. Hollanda (1994) and Dina (2002) were the worst two last cyclones to have affected the island.
The island's capital and largest city is Port Louis, in the northwest. Other important towns are Rose-Hill and Beau-Bassin, Curepipe, Vacoas, Phoenix, Quatre Bornes.
The island is well known for its natural beauty. Author Mark Twain, for example, noted in Following the Equator, his personal travelogue, "You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first and then heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius". (This quote is often taken out of context. Twain actually wrote: "From one citizen you gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven; and that heaven was copied after Mauritius. Another one tells you that this is an exaggeration…")
Mauritian society includes people from many different ethnic groups. The republic's residents are the descendants of people from India, continental Africa, Madagascar, France, Great Britain, and China, among other places.
Religion
Hinduism is the majority religion in Mauritius followed by Christianity and Islam arrives in third position. Buddhist and Chinese faiths are also found. Hindus make up 52%, Christians 28%, Islam at 14.4% and other unspecified religions or atheists round up to 2% . There is supposedly also a significant migrant population of Bhumihar Brahmins in Mauritius who have made a mark for themselves in different fields and they are still in touch with their family members in India and there are instances of marital relations between them to keep their cultural identity intact.[23] Churches and Chinese and Dravidian Tamil pagodas and temples are found in large numbers.[24]
However, in Mauritius, many people seem to confuse the term 'ethnicity' with 'religion'. For example, those who are not of Asian decents are called Catholics or Christians; furthermore, they are referred as the 'general population', meaning that they are unclassified. The creole community is nowadays advocating for an identity.
Language
The official language of Mauritius is English. All government administrative documents are therefore drawn up in English. Article 49 of the constitution also allows any member of the National Assembly of Mauritius to address the chair in French. Together with English, Mauritian Creole is also used in instructions in the educational system. However, all exams are taken in English as the education system follows the British education system. The majority of students in primary schools are taught an oriental language.[vague] Though French predominates in the media, a big proportion of television and radio programming are in oriental languages. In business and in corporate affairs, English and Creole prevail.
The most widely-spoken language is Mauritian Creole, which has close ties with French pronunciation, but with a few marked differences. Mauritian Creole is considered to be the native tongue of the country. Most Creoles are Christian. Hindus include Tamils, Muslims descended from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and from Gujarat (mainly Surat). The Sino-Mauritian community follow mainly Roman Catholicism, Buddhism and Confucian traditions.[25]
Culture of Mauritius and Music of Mauritius
The cuisine of Mauritius is a blend of Indian, Creole, Chinese and European influences. It is common for a combination of cuisines to form part of the same meal.
The production of rum is widespread on the island. Sugarcane was first introduced to Mauritius by the Dutch in 1638. The Dutch mainly cultivated sugarcane for the production of "arrack", a precursor to rum. However, it was during the French and British administrations that sugar production was fully exploited, which considerably contributed to the economical development of the island.[citation needed] Pierre Charles François Harel was the first to propose the concept of local distillation of rum in Mauritius, in 1850.
The sega is a local folklore music. Sega has African roots, and main traditional instruments for producing the music are goat-skin percussion instruments called ravane and metallic clicks using metal triangles. The songs usually describe the miseries of slavery, and has been adapted nowadays as social satires to voice out inequalities as felt by the blacks. Men are usually at the instruments while women perform an accompanying dance which is more often erotic.[25]
In 1847, Mauritius became the fifth location in the world to issue postage stamps. The two types of stamps issued then, known as the Mauritius "Post Office" stamps, consisting of a "Red Penny" and a "Blue Two Pence" denomination, are probably the most famous and valuable stamps in the world.
When it was discovered, the island of Mauritius was the home of a previously unknown species of bird, which the Portuguese named the dodo (simpleton), as they appeared to be not too bright. By 1681, all dodos had been killed by the settlers or by their domesticated animals. An alternate theory suggests that the imported wild boars that were set free destroyed the slow-breeding dodo population. The dodo is prominently featured as a supporter of the national coat-of-arms (see above).
The island has also given rise to a diversified literature, prominent in the French, English, and Creole languages. Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, the 2008 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, is of Franco-Mauritian origin and lives on the island for part of each year.
In Mauritius the following festivals Christmas, Cavadee, Chinese New Year, Père Laval, Mahashivratri and Eid Al-Fitr are celebrated.[25] Mauritius should also be discovered in the back-country, where the culture is highly contrasting with what is seen in the cities.
Recreational activities in Mauritius are quite varied to support the local tourism industry. Water sports are facilitated as the island is surrounded with coral reef, providing plenty of relatively shallow and calm water. Activities such as deep sea fishing, windsurfing, water-skiing, cruising in yachts and even submarines are some of the many water based recreations available.
Land based leisure activities include deer hunting, quad & mountain biking, abseiling, zip lining, horse riding and trekking. But are often practiced by the rich society.
