1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Coastline
177 km
Comparative area
slightly less than 10.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Disputes
claims Chagos Archipelago, which includes the island of Diego Garcia in UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory; claims French-administered Tromelin Island
Environment
subject to cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 54%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and woodland 31%; other 7%; includes irrigated 9%
Maritime claims
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
arable land, fish
Note
located 900 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean
Terrain
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau
Total area
1,860 km2; land area: 1,850 km2; includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues
People and Society
Birth rate
19 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
Infant mortality rate
20 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
335,000; government services 29%, agriculture and fishing 27%, manufacturing 22%, other 22%; 43% of population of working age (1985)
Language
English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori
Life expectancy at birth
66 years male, 74 years female (1991)
Literacy
61% (male 72%, female 50%) age 13 and over can read and write (1962)
Nationality
noun--Mauritian(s); adjective--Mauritian
Net migration rate
- 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
35% of labor force in more than 270 unions
Population
1,081,000 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)
Religion
Hindu 52%, Christian (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%) 28.3%, Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%
Total fertility rate
2.0 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne
Capital
Port Louis
Communists
may be 2,000 sympathizers; several Communist organizations; Mauritius Lenin Youth Organization, Mauritius Women's Committee, Mauritius Communist Party, Mauritius People's Progressive Party, Mauritius Young Communist League, Mauritius Liberation Front, Chinese Middle School Friendly Association, Mauritius/USSR Friendship Society
Constitution
12 March 1968
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Chitmansing JESSERAMSING; Chancery at Suite 134, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-1491 or 1492; US--Ambassador Penne Percy KORTH; Embassy at 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis; telephone [230] 208-9763 through 208-9767
Elections
Legislative Assembly--last held on 15 September 1991 (next to be held by 15 September 1996); results--MSM/MMM 53%, MLP/PMSD 38%; seats--(70 total, 62 elected) MSM/MMM alliance 59 (MSM 29, MMM 26, OPR 2, MTD 2); opposition 3
Executive branch
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green
Independence
12 March 1968 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Veerasamy RINGADOO (since 17 January 1986); Head of Government--Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 12 June 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Prem NABABSING (since 26 September 1990)
Legal system
based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislative Assembly
Long-form name
none
Member of
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
Other political or pressure groups
various labor unions
Political parties and leaders
government coalition--Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), A. JUGNAUTH; Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM), Paul BERENGER; Organization of the People of Rodrigues (OPR), Louis Serge CLAIR; Democratic Labor Movement (MTD), Anil BAICHOO; opposition--Mauritian Labor Party (MLP), Navin RAMGOOLMAN; Socialist Workers Front, Sylvio MICHEL; Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD), G. DUVAL
Type
parliamentary democracy
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 10% of GDP; about 90% of cultivated land in sugarcane; other products--tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses, cattle, goats, fish; net food importer, especially rice and fish
Budget
revenues $477 million; expenditures $540 million, including capital expenditures of $112 million (FY89)
Currency
Mauritian rupee (plural--rupees); 1 Mauritian rupee (MauR) = 100 cents
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $76 million; Western (non-US) countries (1970-88), $628 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $54 million
Electricity
233,000 kW capacity; 420 million kWh produced, 375 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Mauritian rupees (MauRs) per US$1--14.295 (January 1991), 14.839 (1990), 15.250 (1989), 13.438 (1988), 12.878 (1987), 13.466 (1986), 15.442 (1985)
Exports
$993 million (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--textiles 44%, sugar 40%, light manufactures 10%; partners--EC and US have preferential treatment, EC 77%, US 15%
External debt
$670 million (December 1989)
Fiscal year
1 July-30 June
GDP
$2.1 billion, per capita $2,000; real growth rate 5.5% (FY89)
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade
Imports
$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--manufactured goods 50%, capital equipment 17%, foodstuffs 13%, petroleum products 8%, chemicals 7%; partners--EC, US, South Africa, Japan
Industrial production
growth rate 12.9% (FY87); accounts for 25% of GDP
Industries
food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, wearing apparel, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
12.7% (1989)
Overview
The economy is based on sugar, manufacturing (mainly textiles), and tourism. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 32% of export earnings. The government's development strategy is centered on industrialization (with a view to exports), agricultural diversification, and tourism. Economic performance in 1989 was impressive, with 5.0% real growth and low unemployment.
Unemployment rate
2.7% (1989 est.)
Communications
Airports
5 total, 4 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
4 major transport aircraft
Highways
1,800 km total; 1,640 km paved, 160 km earth
Merchant marine
9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 94,619 GRT/140,345 DWT; includes 2 passenger-cargo, 2 cargo, 1 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 liquefied gas, 2 bulk
Ports
Port Louis
Telecommunications
small system with good service; new microwave link to Reunion; high-frequency radio links to several countries; 48,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, no FM, 4 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
paramilitary Special Mobile Force, Special Support Units, National Police Force, National Coast Guard
Defense expenditures
$4 million, 0.2% of GDP (1988) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 302,588; 155,176 fit for military service