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National Map
Of |
Mauritius |
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National Flag
Of |
Mauritius |
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Flag Description:
four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and
green
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National Emblem(Coat Of Arms)
Of |
Mauritius |
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National Anthem
Of |
Mauritius |
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Categories National Symbol Of |
Mauritius |
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Background:
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Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius was
subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British
before independence was attained in 1968. A stable
democracy with regular free elections and a positive
human rights record, the country has attracted
considerable foreign investment and has earned one of
Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather
and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth,
leading to some protests over standards of living in the
Creole community. |
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Location:
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Southern
Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
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Geographic coordinates:
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20 17 S,
57 33 E |
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Map references:
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Political
Map of the World |
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Area:
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total:
2,040 sq km
land: 2,030 sq km
water: 10 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos
Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues |
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Area - comparative:
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almost 11
times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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177 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin |
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Climate:
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tropical,
modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May
to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
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Terrain:
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small
coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains
encircling central plateau |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Piton 828 m |
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Natural resources:
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arable
land, fish |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 49.26%
permanent crops: 2.96%
other: 47.78% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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200 sq km
(2000 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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cyclones
(November to April); almost completely surrounded by
reefs that may pose maritime hazards |
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Environment - current issues:
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water
pollution, degradation of coral reefs |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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the main
island, from which the country derives its name, is of
volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by
coral reefs |
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Population:
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1,230,602
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 24.4% (male 151,043/female 148,847)
15-64 years: 69.1% (male 424,472/female 425,974)
65 years and over: 6.5% (male 31,506/female
48,760) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
30.5 years
male: 29.65 years
female: 31.46 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.84%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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15.62
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.83
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.41
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
15.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 17.74 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 72.38 years
male: 68.4 years
female: 76.41 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.96
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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700 (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
100 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Mauritian(s)
adjective: Mauritian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%,
Franco-Mauritian 2% |
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Religions:
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Hindu
48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim
16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000
census) |
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Languages:
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Creole
80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4% (official), other
3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.6%
male: 88.6%
female: 82.7% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius
conventional short form: Mauritius |
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Port
Louis |
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Administrative divisions:
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9
districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black
River, Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port,
Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis,
Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne |
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Independence:
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12 March
1968 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 12 March (1968) |
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Constitution:
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12 March
1968; amended 12 March 1992 |
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Legal system:
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based on
French civil law system with elements of English common
law in certain areas |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7
October 2003) and Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN
(since 25 February 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Paul BERENGER
(since 30 September 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president and vice president elected
by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election
last held 25 February 2002 (next to be held NA 2007);
prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by
the president, responsible to the National Assembly
election results: Karl OFFMANN elected president
and Raouf BUNDHUN elected vice president; percent of
vote by the National Assembly - NA%; note - Karl OFFMANN
stepped down on 30 September 2003 |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Assembly (66 seats; 62 elected by
popular vote, 4 appointed by the election commission
from the losing political parties to give representation
to various ethnic minorities; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next
to be held September 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party -
MSM/MMM 52.3%, MLP/PMSD 36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party
- MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6, OPR 2 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Hizbullah
[Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP
[Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or
MMM [Paul BERENGER] - in coalition with MSM; Mauritian
Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc
DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Pravind
JUGNAUTH] - governing party; Rodrigues Movement or MR
[Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples
Organization or OPR [Serge CLAIR] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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various
labor unions |
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International organization participation:
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ACCT,
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC,
Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH
chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador John PRICE
embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy
Street, Port Louis
mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box
544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis,
Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450
telephone: [230] 202-4400
FAX: [230] 208-9534 |
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Flag description:
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four
equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and
green |
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Economy - overview:
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Since
independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a
low-income, agriculturally based economy to a
middle-income diversified economy with growing
industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of
the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to
6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in
more equitable income distribution, increased life
expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a
much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on
about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for
25% of export earnings. The government's development
strategy centers on expanding local financial
institutions and building a domestic information
telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attracted
more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at
commerce in India and South Africa, and investment in
the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion.
Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well
poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and
Opportunity Act (AGOA). |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$15.68
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.7%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $12,800 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 7.6%
industry: 30%
services: 62.4% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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560,000
(2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture and fishing 14%, construction and industry
36%, transportation and communication 7%, trade,
restaurants, hotels 16%, finance 3%, other services 24%
(1995) |
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Unemployment rate:
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10.8%
(2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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10% (2001
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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37 (1987
est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4.5%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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22.5% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $1.231 billion
expenditures: $1.582 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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29.2% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle,
goats; fish |
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Industries:
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food
processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing;
chemicals, metal products, transport equipment,
nonelectrical machinery; tourism |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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8% (2000
est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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1.836
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 90.8%
hydro: 9.2%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.707
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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21,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Current account balance:
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$284.1
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$2.012
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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clothing
and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses |
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Exports - partners:
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UK 33.1%,
France 20.4%, US 14.8%, Madagascar 5.1%, Italy 4.1%
(2004) |
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Imports:
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$2.245
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs,
petroleum products, chemicals |
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Imports - partners:
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South
Africa 11.3%, China 9.4%, India 9.3%, France 9.2%,
Bahrain 5.3%, Japan 4.1% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$1.676
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$1.78
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$42
million (1997) |
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Currency (code):
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Mauritian
rupee (MUR) |
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Currency code:
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MUR |
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Exchange rates:
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Mauritian
rupees per US dollar - 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003),
29.962 (2002), 29.129 (2001), 26.25 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 July -
30 June |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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348,200
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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462,400
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: small system with good service
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk
system
international: country code - 230; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave
link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several
countries; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE)
provides connectivity to Europe and Asia |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 4, FM
9, shortwave 0 (2002) |
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Radios:
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420,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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2 (plus
several repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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258,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.mu |
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Internet hosts:
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3,985
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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2 (2000)
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Internet users:
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150,000
(2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
2,000 km
paved: 1,960 km (including 60 km of expressways)
unpaved: 40 km (2002) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Port
Louis |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 22,946 GRT/27,102 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, passenger/cargo 2,
refrigerated cargo 2
foreign-owned: 6 (India 4, Switzerland 2) (2005)
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Airports:
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6 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
2
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
4
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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National
Police Force (includes the paramilitary Special Mobile
Force or SMF and National Coast Guard) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 313,271 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 248,659 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$12.5
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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0.2%
(2004) |
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Disputes - international:
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Mauritius
claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British
Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who
reside chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship
but no right to patriation in the UK; claims
French-administered Tromelin Island |
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Illicit drugs:
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minor
consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South
Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed
locally; significant offshore financial industry creates
potential for money laundering, but corruption levels
are relatively low and the government appears generally
to be committed to regulating its banking industry |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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