History of Mauritius
Mauritius was discovered in the 16th century by the Arabs, and has witnessed a rich history. Following the Arabs, Mauritius was then inhabited by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French, and the English before gaining independence. This Independence came on March 12, 1968 following arduous negotiations that began in 1948. The country is now a mixture of many cultures from Europe, Africa and Asia and this mix and its history is very much reflected in the capital of the island, Port Louis.
Pre-Independence 3
If you take a look at the oldest World Map dated 1502 where Mauritius already appears, albeit under the Arabic name of Dinarobin, you will find little trace of North America and certainly no Australia either. The Arabs had discovered this island and used it as a shelter and a means of supply in fresh meat and water. The Portuguese, having discovered the secrets of Arab navigators rounded the Cape and followed their predecessors by landing on the island and calling it "Islo do Cirne" or Swan Island, in 1511. However, they did not build any permanent settlement there.
Post- Independence of Mauritius 2
Mauritius gained independence from Great Britain in 1968, after lengthy negotiations in London, but chose to remain a member of the Commonwealth. The parliamentary system is based on the Westminster model where members of parliament are voted in at general elections held at regular intervals. Following independence, Prime Minister Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, managed to forge a nation out of disparate ethnic elements. In 1992, a historic year for the Mauritian nation, the country assumed the status of republic, with a president replacing the Governor General.
There is no official language in Mauritius, though it is often assumed to be English as parliamentary proceedings are conducted in English. Mauritian Creole, a French based language that grew from the pidgin language developed by slaves in the 18th Century is the most commonly spoken language by the native population, with French generally more widely used than English, with the majority of newspapers and television programs written and broadcast in French. However as a nation composed of a variety of different cultures and religions, many other languages are also spoken, including Hindi, Urdu, Mandarin, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and Bhojpuri.
Discover 5
As a Mauritius ‘news and information portal’ naturally we have a section to “Discover Mauritius”. It is important to know that Mauritius is more than one island, so we will have articles about Rodrigues, Agaléga, Saint Brandon (Cargados Carajos), the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia and any other island comprised in the State of Mauritius.
We want you to discover the real Mauritius that although does not feature grand natural formations like Victoria Falls or Mount Kilimanjaro, is however filled with lots of waterfalls, mountains, rainbows and unique flora, fauna and history, as the country was isolated for millions of years before Mauritius was discovered by humans. The Arabs came first but it was re-discovered and explored by the Portuguese (most probably in 1510) and the Dutch colonised it, followed by the French and English.
Development 18
The Mauritian economy is considered one of the most successful in Africa and is often cited as an example of a long-term stable economy. The Mauritius economy has developed from being reliant solely on sugar revenues (Agriculture) to a more diverse economy with five major pillars: sugar, tourism, textiles, financial services and IT.
Traditionally sugar was the main source of income for Mauritius but diversification gave rise to new pillars to create a stronger economy.
In spite of its small economic size, limited natural resources and remoteness from world markets; Mauritius has transformed itself from a poor sugar economy into one of the most successful economies in Africa in recent decades, largely through reliance on trade-led development but also its ability to negotiate tax, investment and financial agreements with Asian and African countries that established Mauritius as an financial transit hub and tax haven both in the Grey zone thus, attracting foreign companies and investors to the benefit of the country.
Technology also occupies a prominent place within the economy and is gradually positioning itself as one of the most important sources of income for the country.