Mauritius



Lene, Hilde and Suzanne

=__Facts:__=

__**Capital and largest city:**__ Port Louis __**Official language:**__ English __**Government:**__ Pepublic __**President:**__ Anerood Jugnauth __**Prime Minister:**__ Navinchandra Ramgoolam __**Independence:**__ from the United Kingdom, March 12, 1968 __**Total area:**__ 2040 km2 __**Currency:**__ Mauritian rupee (MUR) __**Calling code:**__ +230

Mauritius is officially the Republic of Mauritius. It's an island nation off the coast of [|Africa] in the southwest [|Indian Ocean], about 900 kilometers east of [|Madagascar]. addition to the island of Mauritius, the republic includes the islands of St. Brandon, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands.

=__History__=

The first record of Mauritius comes from Arab and Malay sailors as early as the tenth century. Three ships of the eight Dutch //Second Fleet// that were sent to the Spice Islands were blown off course during a cyclone and landed on the island in 1598, naming it in honour of [|Prince Maurice of Nassau], the Statholder of the Netherlands.

Because of tough climatic conditions including cyclones and the declension of the settlement, the Dutch abandoned the island some decades later. The French who controlled the neighbouring Bourbon island (now Réunion) moved in to seize Mauritius in 1715 and later renamed it //Ile de France// (Isle of France).

The French however harboured the outlawed "corsairs" (pirates) who frequently took British vessels as they sailed between India and Britain, laden with valuable trade goods. In the Napoleonic wars (1803-1815)the British set out to gain control of the island. Despite winning the Battle of Grand Port, Napoleon's only naval victory over the British, the French lost to the British in the north of the island, at Cap Malheureux (Hapless Cape) three months later. They formally surrendered on 3rd December 1810, on terms allowing them to keep their land and property, and to use the France language and law of France in criminal and civil matters. The British reverted to the use of the former name.

Mauritius attained independence in 1968 and the country became a republic within the Commonwealth in 1992. Mauritius has been a stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, and has attracted considerable foreign investment earning one of Africa's highest per capita incomes.

Here's a taste of what might be awaiting you at Mauritius: media type="youtube" key="DW5bER27Gng" width="425" height="350"

=**__Language__**=

English is the official language on Mauritius, but French is much more used. The English language is mostly used within buisness, and it's rare to hear it out in the steets. The language you hear on the street, is called, //creole,// that's a language which is based on french. It's a simplified edition of french, with admixed words from other languages. The reason for the mixed language, is because Maritius have been colonised by the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom. This have made an effect on the language.

=__Politics__=

Mauritius is a parliamentary democracy based on the United Kingdom model.The head of state of Mauritius is the President, who is elected for a five-year term by the National Assembly, the unicameral Mauritian parliament. The National Assembly consists of 62 members elected directly by popular vote, with between four and eight further members appointed from "best losers" election candidates to represent ethnic minorities, if under represented after the elections. The government is headed by the Prime Minister and a council of ministers. The Government is elected on a five-year basis. The most recent general elections took place on July 3rd in 2005 in all the 20 mainland constituencies, as well as the constituency covering the island of Rodrigues. Historically, elections have always had a tendency to adhere to a system comprising two major coalitions of parties. Below is the Mauritian flag, as well as the coat of arms.

The Mauritian flag and their coat of arms

=__**Culture**__=

The cuisine of Mauritius is a blend of Indian Cuisine, Creole, Chinese and European. It is not uncommon for a combination of cuisines to form part of the same meal. The "cari poule" or chicken curry, for example, is a very popular dish. The "mine-frit" (Chinese fried noodles) and "niouk nien" (dumplings) are loved by all and readily bought by the Mauritian community either in restaurants or on the sidewalks of main streets. 'Alouda' (a milk-based drink with seeds) has become a typical Mauritian drink and the 'dholl puri' can be considered a favourite with all communities. The historical evolution of the rum industry in Mauritius is no less enriching than that of the Caribbean or that of South America. Sugarcane was first introduced on the island when the Dutch colonised it in 1638. Even then, the propensity of making rum out of sugarcane was strongly recognised. However, it was during the French and English administration, that sugar production was fully exploited. This greatly contributed to the economical development of the island. It was Mr. Pierre Charles François Harel who initially proposed the concept of local distillation of rum in Mauritius, in 1850. In part due to his efforts, Mauritius today houses three distilleries (Grays, Medine & St Aubin) and is in the process of opening another three.

Mauritius is the only known place where you could find the [|Dodo Bird] (in Norwegian called "Dronte") Also known from the movie "Ice Age" (clip below)

media type="youtube" key="94Y7FuMRA0Y" width="425" height="350"

= = =__Similarities between Mauritius and Britain.__=

Mauritius compared to the United Kingdom is quiet like. Mauritius is a parliamentary democracy based on the United Kingdom model. Other things which is like between these two country is parts of the language. Even though French is more used in Mauritius, English is the official language. It was difficult to find these information, so I didn't find alot.

Criticism of the sources. We mainly used one website when we were looking for facts about Mauritius. The page was [|www.wikipedia.no] (It was difficult for us to find good facts about Mauritius, because Mauritius is a famouse tourist area, so alot of the information from the internet is mostly about how you can visit Mauritius.)