Mauritius

1
Mauritius

• An overview of

2
The country's nearest neighbour is the French
island of Réunion, which lies 200 km to the west.

• Mauritius lies in the Indian Ocean, about 1,000
  km to the east of Madagascar

3
Its History
The island was discovered by the Portuguese Vasco
Da Gamma in the 16th century, and it was only
used as a stop to collect food and water on the
way to India.
In 1598, the Dutch claimed the land for the
Netherlands and named the island Mauritius, after
Prince Maurice of Nassau. They stayed there until
1710 when they abandoned the island.
In 1715 the French took possession of the island
and renamed it Ile de France and stayed there
until 1810.
In 1810 the British invaded the island and
renamed it Mauritius. But the people living there
could keep the French language, religion and
legal system.
It was FINALLY proclaimed Independent Nation in
1968
4
The highest point on the island is 826 metres.
Mauritius was formed from a volcano that has been
extinct for the last 100,000 years.
In the centre of the island is a large plateau,
bordered by mountains and on the north by a
coastal plain.
5
The island is almost entirely surrounded by coral
reefs which keeps the lagoon safe from sharks and
other sea predators.
6
The country is attracting 700.000 visitors per
year, making tourism industry one of the main
activity of our economy.

7

• Tourists come mainly from Europe and South Africa
  to enjoy the pleasures of the beaches, as well as
  aquatic sports and activities like sailing, scuba
  diving, water ski

8
and fishing
deep sea fishing is very popular for tourists
and people from the higher class owing catamarans
and yatchs
9
but fishing is also very popular with simpler
means
10
Economy
After tourism the main resource of the country
is the export of sugar made from sugar cane
It represents 15 of the countrys workforce
Its cultivation covers 80 of the arable land
11
The next major industry is textile
About 40 of the workforce is employed in the
manufacturing sector.
Mauritius has many textile factories, where
clothing is made for markets in Europe the US

• Thousands of people, mostly women, are employed
  to sew or finish garments, or to operate knitting
  machines.

Foreign investors were given tax exemptions to
set up these establishments.
12
Some local colours
The local music is called sega and the typical
sega was mostly accompanied by typical drums.
Today with the influence of the West the
techinques have been modernised

13

• However it is still danced with the same type
  of clothes

and the same patriotic feeling
14
The people
The Mauritian population can be divided into four
main groups

• 1. People of Indian or Pakistani descent 68
• Creoles27
• Chinese descendants3
• European descendants2

15
The first group consists of descendants of people
who came as indentured labourers to work on sugar
plantations. These people do not form a single
cultural group, but include Hindus and Muslims.
Creoles are descendants from the people who were
brought from Eastern Africa to work as slaves
during colonial times.

• The sino-mauritians are the descendants of
  people who came from China in the 19th century to
  work as traders.

There is also a small group of people descended
from the French who colonized the island in the
17th century the Franco-mauritians.
16
and some pictures of my family
17
Thats all folks

• Thank you for your attention