Mauritius

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

Mauritius is one of the few states in the world that does not have a military. However, internal and external security is mainly provided by the police and its coast guard as well as its special mobile force. These are supplied with military grade weapons of which Mauritius has a budget of US$23 million, or 0.2 percent of its GDP. This makes Mauritius the 160th highest military spender in the world representing 0.00118 percent of total global military expenditure.

Military membership

Its total military memberships are four, which makes it the 126th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Since its independence, Mauritius is not partaken in any international war.

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Mauritius is a member of 13 international political organizations which makes it the 70th most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Indian Ocean Commission
Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization
African Union
Commonwealth of Nations
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
International Criminal Court

International Criminal Court
Interpol
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

As the 29th most democratic state in the world, Mauritius is considered to be the most democratic state of all of Africa. It has seen free and fair elections since its independence. However, there has been a declining trend in the trust of the election results over the last decade.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Mauritius takes place in a parliamentary republic where the president is head of state and the Prime Minister is head of government. Since its independence, Mauritius has seen free and fair elections, but has only seen three prime ministers.

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Known for its stunning beaches as well as being named after a Dutch prince, Mauritius is the most densely populated state of Africa. Before its contacts with Europeans, the island was mainly uninhabited. When the Portuguese claimed the island at the start of the 16th century you, they did not inhabit the islands. At the end of the 16th century, the Dutch laid claim on the island and tried to inhabit it, but failed. When the French took control over the island at the start of the 18th century, they were able to create infrastructure as well as sugar plantations which were mainly filled with African slaves. After the defeat of Napoleon, the British laid claim on the island and, with the abolishment of slavery, started to reallocate people from the Indian subcontinent to Mauritius. More than a century later, Mauritius gained its independence in 1968. Since then, Mauritius has had a period of stability and an economic growth that is higher than the African average.

Located off the east coast of Africa, Mauritius is known to be created as a result of volcanic eruptions. Today, the geography of Mauritius mainly consists of high mountains that are located in its center, to the northwest, the east and the southwest. These areas are densely forested. More outwards, Mauritius has low lying plains which have low vegetation. On its shorelines, Mauritius is covered by sandy beaches or rocky beaches which are lightly forested by tropical trees.

It is the 168th largest state in the world with a total surface area of 2050 square kilometers or 794 square miles. This makes Mauritius is slightly larger than the Comoros and slightly smaller than Luxembourg.

It is the 146th state with the highest amount of surface water which is 10 square kilometers or four square miles.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its drinking water comes from either surface water from its internal rivers and lakes or ground water which is derived from boreholes.

Mauritius has a tropical climate and is known to have only summers and winters. Its average temperature is 23.1 degrees Celsius or 73.5 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Mauritius the 87th warmest state in the world.

During the summer period, from November to April, the average temperature is 26.1 degrees Celsius or 79 degrees Fahrenheit.

During winter, from May to October, the average temperature is 20.6 degrees Celsius or 69.1 degrees Fahrenheit.

The majority of its rainfall occurs during its summer period. Most of its rain comes from tropical cyclones that supply the islands with fresh rainwater. The annual precipitation is 155 centimetres or 61 inches per year which makes Mauritius the 52nd state with the highest amount of rainfall.

The capital of Mauritius, Port Louis, is a home to 150,000 people. The capital that is closest located to Port Louis is Antananarivo Madagascar with a distance of 1078 kilometers or 669 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Port Louis is Mexico City of Mexico with a distance of 17,609 kilometers or 10,942 miles.

The economy of Mauritius is considered to be a mixed economy with state monopolies as well as private enterprise. Its economy has a large base in agriculture, but also enough diversification in banking, information technology, tourism and the textile sector which have seen a steady growth over the last three decades. Most of the goods that are being exported are fish, sugar and clothing which are mainly exported to France, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa which combined represent nearly 50 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China and India which represent 30 percent of all imports.

Mauritius is a member of 10 international economic organizations which makes it the 161st most economically connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Indian Ocean Rim Association
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
Southern African Development Community
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law

Its GDP, with US$13.2 billion is the 131st highest in the world and represents 0.016 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 26th highest in the world with US$6.4 million per square kilometer or US$16.6 million per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 66th highest in the world with US$10,685.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power is the 113th highest in the world with US$11,393.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a total population of 1.2 million people, Mauritius is the 155th most populous state in the world. The majority of the population, 60 percent, originates from the Indian subcontinent. Roughly one in four people are a mix between Africans and French. despite this ethnic composition, the official language of Mauritius is English. However, the majority speaks French, Hindi or Creole.

It has the 13th highest population density in the world with 601 people per square kilometer or 1552 people per square mile.

Emigration from Mauritius is represented by nearly 200.000 people, or 14.4 percent of the population. This makes Mauritius the 141st states with the highest number of emigrants representing 0.073 percent of total global emigration. Roughly half of the population has migrated from Mauritius to either France or the United Kingdom.

Immigration to Mauritius has been slightly stimulated, but has been exclusive to skilled laborers or large investors due to its limited resources. In total, 25.000 people, or 2.05 percent of the population has migrated to Mauritius. This makes Mauritius the 129th state with the highest amount of immigration representing 0.01 percent of total global immigration.

The educational system is inherited from the United Kingdom is still based on this model. Before its independence, education was only provided to all children between the ages of four and 12. Since its independence, primary and secondary education has been provided for free by the government with only fees required for universities. This has led to a sharp increase in its average literacy rate. Currently it is 90.4 percent which makes it the 115th highest in the world, but this number is likely to rise in the coming decades.

Of the last decades, the health care system of Mauritius has developed into a high-quality health care system. This has led to a sharp decline in communicable diseases which have been replaced by noncommunicable diseases. Currently, cardiovascular diseases and cancer are the leading causes of death within Mauritius. However, with a rise in diabetes rates, the cause of death is likely to shift. The average life expectancy is 75.5 years with women reaching 78.9 years and men reaching 72.2 years. This makes Mauritius the 93rd state with the highest life expectancy.

Mauritius provides freedom of religion towards all religions. However, only the larger religions within Mauritius have received subsidies by the government and are tax exempt.

Christianity is represented by 23.6 percent of the population. This makes Mauritius the 139th most Christian state in the world. These are mainly represented by the Creole population and adhere mainly to Roman Catholicism.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Islam is represented by 17.1 percent of the population. Most Muslims arrived from Pakistan as a result of resettlement by the British Empire. Currently, Mauritius is the 64th most Islamic state in the world.

Buddhism is represented by 0.17 percent of the population. These are mainly labour migrants that have settled from China.

Hinduism is the largest religion in Mauritius and is represented by nearly 35 percent of the population. This makes Mauritius the most the Hindu states of all of Africa.

There are less than 50 Jews, or less than 0.01 percent of the population residing in Mauritius. These are mainly businessmen.

Other religions are represented by 0.44 percent of the population. These are mainly adherents to the Baha'i faith.

Irreligion is represented by 0.43 percent of the population. This is largely due to the Constitution of Mauritius which obligates the government to protect religions.

Mauritius