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Mauritius (/mɒrˈɪʃ(i)əs, mɔːˈ-/ (listen) MORISH-(ee-)əs,
maw-;
French: Maurice [mɔʁis,
moʁis] (listen); Morisyen: Moris [moʁis]),
officially
the Republic
of
Mauritius,
is
an island
nation in
the Indian
Ocean about
2,000
kilometres
(1,200 mi)
off
the
southeast
coast
of
the
African
continent,
east
of Madagascar.
It
includes
the
main
island
(also
called
Mauritius),
as
well
as Rodrigues, Agaléga and St.
Brandon.[10][11] The
islands
of
Mauritius
and
Rodrigues,
along
with
nearby Réunion (a French
overseas
department),
are
part
of
the Mascarene
Islands.
The
capital
and
largest
city, Port
Louis,
is
located
in
Mauritius,
where
most
of
the
population
is
concentrated.
The
country
spans
2,040
square
kilometres
(790 sq mi)
and
has
an exclusive
economic
zone covering
2.3
million
square
kilometres.[12]
By
some
accounts,
Arab
sailors
were
the
first
to
discover
the
uninhabited
island,
around
975,
and
they
called
it
Dina
Arobi,
but
this
has
not
been
confirmed.
The
earliest
confirmed
discovery
was
in
1507
by
Portuguese
sailors,
who
otherwise
took
little
interest
in
the
islands.
The
Dutch
took
possession
in
1598,
establishing
a
succession
of
short-lived
settlements
over
a
period
of
about
120
years,
before
abandoning
their
efforts
in
1710.
France
took
control
in
1715,
renaming
it
Isle
de
France.
In
1810,
the
island
was
seized
by
Great
Britain,
and
four
years
later
France
ceded
Mauritius
and
its
dependencies
to
Britain.
As
a
British
colony,
Mauritius
included
Rodrigues,
Agaléga,
St.
Brandon,
Tromelin,
the
Chagos
Archipelago,
and,
until
1906,
the
Seychelles.[10][13]
Sovereignty
over
Tromelin
is
disputed
between
Mauritius
and
France,
as
it
was
not
specifically
mentioned
in
the
Treaty
of
Paris.[14]
Mauritius
remained
a
primarily
plantation-based
colony
of
the
United
Kingdom
until
independence
in
1968.
In
1965,
three
years
before
Mauritius
became
independent,
the
UK
split
off
the
Chagos
Archipelago
from
Mauritian
territory,
and
also
split
off
the
islands
of
Aldabra,
Farquhar,
and
Desroches
from
the
Seychelles,
to
form
the
British
Indian
Ocean
Territory
(BIOT).[15]
The
local
population
was
forcibly
expelled
and
the
largest
island,
Diego
Garcia,
was
leased
to
the
United
States.
The
UK
has
restricted
access
to
the
Chagos
Archipelago,
barring
entry
to
casual
tourists,
the
media,
and
former
inhabitants.[16]
The
sovereignty
of
the
Chagos
is
disputed
between
Mauritius
and
the
UK.
In
February
2019,
the
International
Court
of
Justice
issued
an
advisory
opinion
ordering
the
UK
to
return
the
Chagos
Islands
to
Mauritius
as
rapidly
as
possible
to
complete
the
decolonisation
of
Mauritius.
Owing
to
its
geographic
location
and
centuries
of
colonialism,
the
people
of
Mauritius
are
highly
diverse
in
ethnicity,
culture,
language
and
faith.
It
is
the
only
country
in
Africa
where
Hinduism
is
the
religion
with
the
most
adherents.[17][18]
The
island's
government
is
closely
modelled
on
the
Westminster
parliamentary
system,
and
Mauritius
is
highly
ranked
for
democracy
and
for
economic
and
political
freedom.
Mauritius
is
the
only
African
country
to
be
in
the
"very
high"
category
on
the
Human
Development
Index.
According
to
the
World
Bank,
the
country
is
classified
as
a
high-income
economy.[19]
Mauritius
is
also
ranked
as
the
most
competitive,
and
one
of
the
most
developed
economies
in
the
African
region.[20]
The
country
is
a
welfare
state.
The
government
provides
free
universal
health
care,
free
education
up
through
the
tertiary
level
and
free
public
transportation
for
students,
senior
citizens,
and
the
disabled.[21]
In
2019,
Mauritius
was
ranked
the
most
peaceful
African
country
by
the
Global
Peace
Index.[22]
Along
with
the
other
Mascarene
Islands,
Mauritius
is
known
for
its
varied
flora
and
fauna.
Many
species
are
endemic
to
the
island.
The
island
was
the
only
known
home
of
the
dodo,
which,
along
with
several
other
avian
species,
was
made
extinct
by
human
activities
relatively
soon
after
the
island's
settlement.
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