MAURITIUS                                                                       
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 1,860 km2; land area: 1,850 km2; includes Agalega                   
Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues                 
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly less than 10.5 times the size of                     
Washington, DC                                                                  
                                                                                
Land boundaries: none                                                           
Coastline: 177 km                                                               
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;                        
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Disputes: claims Chagos Archipelago, which includes the island of               
Diego Garcia in UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory; claims          
French-administered Tromelin Island                                             
                                                                                
Climate: 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                                                      
                                                                                
Natural resources: arable land, fish                                            
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 54%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures             
4%; forest and woodland 31%; other 7%; includes irrigated 9%                    
                                                                                
Environment: subject to cyclones (November to April); almost                    
completely surrounded by reefs                                                  
                                                                                
Note: located 900 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean                     
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 1,081,000 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)                      
                                                                                
Birth rate: 19 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                        
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 20 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 74 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Mauritian(s); adjective--Mauritian                           
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian                
3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%                                                         
                                                                                
Religion: Hindu 52%, Christian (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant                  
2.3%) 28.3%, Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%                                           
                                                                                
Language: English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka,               
Bojpoori                                                                        
                                                                                
Literacy: 61% (male 72%, female 50%) age 13 and over can                        
read and write (1962)                                                           
                                                                                
Labor force: 335,000; government services 29%, agriculture and                  
fishing 27%, manufacturing 22%, other 22%; 43% of population of working         
age (1985)                                                                      
                                                                                
Organized labor: 35% of labor force in more than 270 unions                     
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: none                                                            
                                                                                
Type: parliamentary democracy                                                   
                                                                                
Capital: Port Louis                                                             
                                                                                
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                                                             
                                                                                
Independence: 12 March 1968 (from UK)                                           
                                                                                
Constitution: 12 March 1968                                                     
                                                                                
Legal system: based on French civil law system with elements of                 
English common law in certain areas                                             
                                                                                
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 March (1968)                             
                                                                                
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime                      
minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)                 
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly                             
                                                                                
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)                                                                           
                                                                                
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                              
                                                                                
Suffrage universal at age 18                                                    
                                                                                
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                                                     
                                                                                
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                                                                         
                                                                                
Other political or pressure groups: various labor unions                        
                                                                                
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                              
                                                                                
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                                                                        
                                                                                
Flag: four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow,                   
and green                                                                       
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
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.             
                                                                                
GDP: $2.1 billion, per capita $2,000; real growth rate 5.5% (FY89)              
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12.7% (1989)                                  
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 2.7% (1989 est.)                                             
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $477 million; expenditures $540 million, including             
capital expenditures of $112 million (FY89)                                     
                                                                                
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%                 
                                                                                
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                                           
                                                                                
External debt: $670 million (December 1989)                                     
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate 12.9% (FY87); accounts                       
for 25% of GDP                                                                  
                                                                                
Electricity: 233,000 kW capacity; 420 million kWh produced,                     
375 kWh per capita (1989)                                                       
                                                                                
Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles,                  
wearing apparel, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment,                
nonelectrical machinery, tourism                                                
                                                                                
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                
                                                                                
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international               
drug trade                                                                      
                                                                                
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                                                
                                                                                
Currency: Mauritian rupee (plural--rupees);                                     
1 Mauritian rupee (MauR) = 100 cents                                            
                                                                                
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)                                                           
                                                                                
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June                                                     
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Highways: 1,800 km total; 1,640 km paved, 160 km earth                          
                                                                                
Ports: Port Louis                                                               
                                                                                
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                               
                                                                                
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft                                           
                                                                                
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                                                    
                                                                                
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                                                                         
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: paramilitary Special Mobile Force, Special Support Units,             
National Police Force, National Coast Guard                                     
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 302,588; 155,176 fit for                    
military service                                                                
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $4 million, 0.2% of GDP (1988)                            
