Mauritius

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; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

7 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 94,710 GRT/150,345 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 3 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off, 1 liquefied gas, 3 bulk

Ports

Port Louis

Telecommunications

small system with good service utilizing primarily radio relay; new microwave link to Reunion; high-frequency radio links to several countries; over 48,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, no FM, 4 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

paramilitary Special Mobile Force, Special Support Unit, National Police Force, National Coast Guard

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $5 million, 0.2% of GDP (FY89)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 307,237; 157,246 fit for military service

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 $557 million; expenditures $607 million, including capital expenditures of $111 million (FY90)

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 (1970-89), $709 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $54 million

Electricity

235,000 kW capacity; 425 million kWh produced, 395 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

Mauritian rupees (MauRs) per US$1 - 15.198 (January 1992), 15.652 (1991), 14.839 (1990), 15.250 (1989), 13.438 (1988), 12.878 (1987)

Exports

$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: textiles 44%, sugar 40%, light manufactures 10% partners: EC and US have preferential treatment, EC 77%, US 15%

External debt

$869 million (1991 est.)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $2.5 billion, per capita $2,300; real growth rate 6.1% (FY91 est.)

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade

Imports

$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990) 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)

13.2% (FY91 est.)

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 40% of export earnings. The government's development strategy is centered on industrialization (with a view to exports), agricultural diversification, and tourism. Economic performance in FY91 was impressive, with 6% real growth and low unemployment.

Unemployment rate

2.4% (1991 est.)

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 UK-administered 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 area

1,850 km2; includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues

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

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

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; FAX [230] 208-9534

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); MLP/PMSD 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

Birth rate

19 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%

Infant mortality rate

22 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

335,000; government services 29%, agriculture and fishing 27%, manufacturing 22%, other 22%; 43% of population of working age (1985)

Languages

English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori

Life expectancy at birth

66 years male, 73 years female (1992)

Literacy

82.8 % (male 88.7%, female 77.1%) age 13 and over can read and write (1985 UNESCO estimate)

Nationality

noun - Mauritian(s); adjective - Mauritian

Net migration rate

-4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

35% of labor force in more than 270 unions

Population

1,092,130 (July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992)

Religions

Hindu 52%, Christian (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%) 28.3%, Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%

Total fertility rate

2.1 children born/woman (1992)