Overview

The Basics

Mauritius is a group of four islands, Mauritius, Rodrigues, Saint Brandon, and Agalega, located in the south of the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. With the exception of its beaches and corral reefs, the island of Agalega’s landmass, a total of over 700 square miles, is the result of volcanic eruptions. The total landmass of the other three islands is roughly another 70 square mile.

The climate of Mauritius is sub-tropical. The average winter temperature is somewhere between 17 and 24 degrees Celsius and the summer temperatures tend to vary between 24 and 30 degrees Celsius. The summer months, November to May, are very rain and the humidity level usually remains about 60%. The months of February through April are the rainiest of the year.

Roughly 90% of the arable land is used for growing sugar cane.

10 international airlines offer flights from SRR International Airport, located at Plaisance, just 45 kilometers southeast from the capital Port Louis; ten international airlines operate from here. Port Louis is home to the nation’s only port. 25 international shipping lines serve the port at Port Louis. Both Plaisance and Port Louis are located on the island of Agalega.

Roughly 150,000 of Mauritius’ 1,250,882 people live in Port Louis.

Ethnically about two-thirds of the population is Indo-Mauritian; the remaining third is largely Creole. Roughly half of the population is Hindu, 28% is Christian and 17% is Muslim.

The nation’s official language is English, but Creole, Hindi, French, Urdu, Hakka, and Bojpoori are also commonly spoken.

The first non-indigenous people to arrive on the islands were Arab traders, who arrived in the 14th and 15th centuries. These traders felt, though, that the island’s isolated location made it a poor choice for a permanent settlement. The Portuguese explorers who arrived later agreed.

The island was not colonized until the Dutch chose to do so in the 17th century. During the same century, French immigrants who brought along their African slaves inundated the island. In 1810 Britain took over Mauritius; twenty-five years later, Britain abolished slavery on the islands. The practice of indentured servitude was introduced to replace slave labor, and this practice remained common until it too was banned in 1922.

In 1968 Mauritius gained independence from Britain in 1968 and in the process lost the Diego Garcia Archipelago. Mauritius and Britain have yet to settle this dispute.

Government and Economy

Mauritius is a sovereign state as well as a member of the British Commonwealth. The President of the Republic is elected by the National Assembly and serves as head of state. The legislative branch consists of the 62 member National Assembly that represents 21 constituencies. Elections for the National Assembly are held every five years. The leader of the winning party is appointed Prime Minister by the President. One of the Prime Minister’s duties is to make recommendations to the President as to who should serve on the Council of Minister. In addition to appointing the Prime Minister, the president also appoints a leader of the opposition; this person is usually the leader of the main opposition party.

The legal system in Mauritius is a conglomeration of English Common Law and French Civil Law. While company and procedural law is largely based on English law, substantive law is essentially modeled on the Napoleonic code. The highest court in the republic is the Supreme Court of Mauritius, but final appeals are referred to the Privy Council in England.

Since its independence from Britain, Mauritius’ economy as grown at an average of 5% annually although there have been some dips, most notably in 2002.

Sugar, which has been and continues to be an important crop, accounts for over one third of export earnings. The industrial, service, and tourist sectors have been growing, as has the financial services industry thanks to a government campaign.

Although the countries per head GDP, at $13,500, is in the middle range, its unemployment is rather high at over 9%.

In the hopes of boosting the domestic economy, the 2005 did away with most import duties.

Following an Article IV consultation between the IMF and Mauritius, the IMF made note of a few economic problems that were the result of adverse external trade circumstances and suggested that certain state enterprises be privatized and that the tax base be broadened.

Foreign Affairs

Mauritius is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU), a member and observer of La Francophonie, a member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Nationals from countries that are members of OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and quite a few other countries are given entry for six months upon arrival and do not visas. Nationals from any other country must apply for a free visa before arrival; it takes about one month to process visa applications.

Mauritius does not recognize Taiwanese passports and holders of such passports are obligate to apply for an entry permit from the Passport and Immigration Officers.

The airport has a special line for entrants that are involved in offshore activities.

All non-Mauritians wishing to be employed must first obtain a work permit. Although there is no maximum stay, work permits are issues for a minimum of six months and a maximum of three years. The Prime Minister’s Office, in conjunction with the Ministry of Human Resource Development and Reform Institutions, issues work permits.

Non-Mauritians must receive special permission from the Prime Minister’s Office to purchase real estate.

Latest news

• Quatrro BPO to ramp up China operations - Business Standard

  
  Google News - Mauritius
  17-February-2008

  Quatrro BPO to ramp up China operationsBusiness Standard, India - 4 hours agoRaman Roy's company had also bought out the Mauritius-based fund eIndia's stake in Chennai-based Scope eKnowledge, a knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) ...

  [full story]

• Mauritius has always been a well-regulated jurisdiction - Hindu

  
  Google News - Mauritius
  17-February-2008

  'Mauritius has always been a well-regulated jurisdiction'Hindu, India - 8 hours agoChennai: The India-Mauritius tax treaty has always been the cynosure of financial planners on the one side, and the policymakers on the other. ...

  [full story]

• Mauritius has always been a well-regulated jurisdiction - Hindu

  
  Google News - Mauritius
  17-February-2008

  'Mauritius has always been a well-regulated jurisdiction'Hindu, India - 8 hours agoMauritius has always been a well-regulated jurisdiction, and not a single case of round tripping or money-laundering has ever been proven against us. ...

  [full story]

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