Last 100 Topics:
Mauritian politics are vibrant and characterized by coalition and alliance building. All parties are centrist and reflect a national consensus that supports democratic politics and a relatively open economy with a strong private sector. Parliamentary elections were held July 3, 2005. Alone or in coalition, the Mauritian Labor Party (MLP) ruled from...
Mauritius has one of the strongest economies in Africa; although final figures are not yet available, 2004 GDP at market prices is estimated at $6 billion and per capita income at $4,900. Over the past two decades, real output growth averaged just below 6% per year, leading to a more than doubling of per capita income and a marked improvement in social...
Interest in arts and letters and the sciences is promoted by voluntary associations. The island has produced talented poets and novelists. Representational and abstract painting flourishes. The national cultural institutions are the Mauritius Institute and the Mauritius Archives. The theatre is popular, and performances of comparatively high quality...
While Arab and Malay sailors knew of Mauritius as early as the 10th century AD and Portuguese sailors first visited in the 16th century, the island was not colonized until 1638 by the Dutch. Mauritius was populated over the next few centuries by waves of traders, planters and their slaves, indentured laborers, merchants, and artisans. The island was...
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar Map references: World Area: total area: 1,860 sq km land area: 1,850 sq km comparative area: slightly less than 10.5 times the size of Washington, DC note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 177 km...
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Mauritian(s). Population (2003): 1,228,965, including Rodrigues, Agalega, and St. Brandon. Avg. annual population growth (2001): 1%. Density--602/sq. km. Ethnic groups: Indo-Mauritians 68%, Creoles 27%, Sino-Mauritians 3%, Franco-Mauritians 2%. Religions: Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim. Languages: Creole (common), French,...
|