Weather
Tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May).
Terrain
Small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau.
Currency
Mauritian Rupee (MUR)
Languages
English (official), Creole, French (official), Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri
Religion
Hindu 52%, Christian 28.3% (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%), Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%
Ethnic groups
Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
History
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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