Geography of Mauritius

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...It lay green and smouldering, mountains smudged blue and purple, like some monstrous precious stone in a butterfly-blue enamel setting, ringed with the white foamed reef and displayed, as a jewel is displayed on velvet, on the dark blue of the Indian Ocean........Gerald Durrell

CLIMATE

------------Jan-Feb-Mar-Apr-May-Jun-Jul-Aug-Sep-Oct-Nov-Dec

Temp: oC-29--29---29---28---26--25--24--24--25--26--27--28

Rain: mm-180-187-165--147--88--48--23--23--18--18--50--114

Mauritius has a maritime climate, tropical during summer and sub-tropical during winter. The summer months extend from November to April and winter from June to September - October and May being transition periods. During the greater part of the year, trade winds blows from the south-east, tempering the heat and bringing plenty of rain. They are periodically interrupted during the summer months by cyclonic disturbances.

The hottest months, and usually the wettest, are from December to April, the coolest are July and August.

HISTORY OF MAURITIUS

Mauritius is located on the 20th parallel just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, 1,265 miles from the east coast of Africa, and 100 miles from Reunion island, its nearest neighbour. Formed by volcanic eruptions from the depths of the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is part of the Mascarene islands.

It remained in solitary isolation for countless millennia, a paradise for the legendary "DODO", the black parrot,the pink pidgeon, the parakeet, giant tortoises and a multiple of exotic animal life.

It was first sighted, most probably by the captain of an Arab dhow who remembered to mark it on the map as Dina Mashriq, meaning Eastern Isle.

The Portuguese must have been the very first human beings to land on its vestal shores, around 1510. They did not settle on the island but used it as a victualling stop on their way to Goa and Mallaca. They named the island Cirne', the Swan. The first settlers were the Dutch who arrived in 1598, and named it Mauritius, after Prince Maurice de Nassau. The Dutch introduced the sugar cane, a crop that was to become the island's lifeblood, and a herd of Javanese deer, that was to provide food and sport for generations of Mauritian gourmets and hunters. But unfortunately the Dutch razed the black ebony forests and killed off the Dodo, before finally abandoning their settlement in 1710.

The island became the haunt of marauding pirates until the French took possession of it in 1715 and renamed it Isle de France. Mahe' de Labournnais, governor from 1734 to 1746, distinguished himself in particular for laying the colony on firm foundations.

When the British captured the island in 1810, the latter was already a fairly prosperous agricultural, commercial and military centre. The island was renamed Mauritius, and the British embarked on the task of administering and developing the colony in earnest. With the abolition of slavery in 1835, large numbers of Indian indentured labourers were brought over to work on the sugar cane plantations. Many of them eventuallty settled on the island, and their descendants nowadays contiune the bulk of the population. Some Chinese also came and set up shops and small businesses.

The stage was thus set for the present-day muticultural Mauritius, a delightful pot-pourri of races , languages, customs and cultures. Mauritius achieved indepenence on 12 March 1968, with Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam as its first Prime Minister. On 12 March 1992, it was proclaimed a Republic.

The Republic of Mauritius is a sovereign democratic state within the Commonwealth. It includes the island of Rodrigues, with which it is politcally intergrated, and several outlying islands. It is universally acknowledged as being one of the most democratic and stable countries in the developing world.

BRITISH AIRWAYS

AIR FRANCE

Austria, Australia, Belgium, Comoros, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mozambique, Reunion, Rodrigues, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Zanzibar, Zimbabwe.

Language

The official language is English, but the most widely spread is French and the local dialect, Creole. Teaching is in English but written and spoken press predominantly in French. Most Mauritians also speak their native language such as Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, etc...

All appliances use 220V. The most common electrical plug is the UK 3-pin.

United Kingdom GBP 1=Rs 49.70

USA USD 1=Rs28.43

Germany DEM 1=Rs17.58

France FRF 1=Rs5.24

EUR 1=Rs34.38

Major credit cards - American Express, Diners, Mastercard and Visa - are accepted in most shops and hotels.

Generally, 09.30 till 16.00hrs:

Monday to Friday and half day on Saturday. On the Central Plateau, shops are opened full day on Saturday - but half-day on Thursday.

Mauritius continues to fulfill every visitor's dream of a tropical island, from swaying palms to the dazzling blue of the ocean - Ile aux Cerfs, at bottom left, Belle Mare plage on the right, balmy nights and smiling people. To help you make the most during your visit, here are some of the the highlights:

CITIES:

The capital of the island: PORT LOUIS: CAUDAN and the WATERFRONTS is a must see.

Curepipe,Quatre Bornes and Rose Hill - main urban areas in the Central Plateau.

Mahebourg, one of the main fishing centres and near SSR airport.