Mauritius

D

Transport

Mauritius is served by Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, 48 km (30 mi) to the south-east of Port Louis. The national carrier is Air Mauritius, which is partly state owned. There are around 1,000 km (620 mi) of paved roads in the country.

V

Government

From 1968 to 1991, Mauritius was a constitutional monarchy with executive power nominally vested in the British monarch, as represented by a governor-general. In March 1992, however, the country became a republic and the governor-general assumed presidential powers. Cassam Uteem was president from July 1992 to February 2002, and was elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly. The National Assembly has 62 members elected by popular vote, plus 4 other members chosen from the losing political parties by an election commission. The head of government is the prime minister, who presides over the Council of Ministers.

A

Health and Welfare

Almost all of the population has access to health services, clean water, and sanitation. There were 946 people per doctor in 2004 and an infant mortality rate of 14 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2008. Around 8 per cent of government expenditure was spent on health care in 2001.

B

International Organizations

Mauritius is a member of the United Nations (UN), the Commonwealth of Nations, and the African Union.

VI

History

Although it has been settled for less than 400 years, Mauritius was probably visited by the Arabs before the 10th century, the Malays in the 15th century, and the Portuguese in the early 1500s. It was occupied in 1598 by the Dutch, who named it after Maurice of Nassau, then stadtholder or chief magistrate of the Netherlands. The Dutch left in 1710, and in 1715 the French took possession, renaming it Île de France. It was captured by the British in 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars and was formally ceded to Britain in 1814. To offset the labour problem arising from abolition of slavery in the British Empire, the planters were allowed to import indentured labourers from India, and since 1861 the population has been mainly Indian.