Mauritius

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Mauritius
By Cadet Womack
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Location Southern Africa, island in the
Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
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Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius
was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and
British before independence was attained in 1968.
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A stable democracy with regular free elections
and a positive human rights record, the country
has attracted considerable foreign investment and
has earned one of Africa's highest per capita
incomes.
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Recent poor weather and declining sugar prices
have slowed economic growth, leading to some
protests over standards of living in the Creole
community.
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Climate tropical, modified by southeast
trade winds warm, dry winter (May to November)
hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Natural resources arable land, fish
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Population 1,230,602 (July 2005 est.)
Religions Hindu 48, Roman Catholic 23.6,
other Christian 8.6, Muslim 16.6, other 2.5,
unspecified 0.3, none 0.4 (2000 census)
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The End