ABOUT MAURITIUS ISLAND: Mauritius was named after the Dutch Prince Maurice van Nassau
CAPITAL: Port Louis
LOCATION: Latitude20 degree south of the equator, Longitude57, 5 degree east
AREA: 2040 km sq.
POPULATION: 1.2 including Rodrigues and outer islands.
TIME: +4 hours Greenwich Mean Time, +3 hours mid-European time
Map:
GEOGRAPHY:
The white beaches are protected by coral reef almost all around except for the southern coast that offers wilder strands or dramatic cliffs. From the northern plains the land rises to a central plateau dotted by lakes and extinct volcanic creators. A few uninhabited islet are scattered around the main island.
Climate:
Season: Summer / Winter
Month:November – April / May – October
Temperature:23 to 33 degree / 17 to 23 degree
Occasional Cyclones: Wettest Months
December to march
Annual Rainfall:
900 mm on the coast
1500 mm on the central plateau
Sea Temperature: 22 to 27 degree
History:
9th century: Arabs Discovered Mauritius
16th Century: Portuguese visited Mauritius.
1598: The Dutch who were the first to colonise Mauritius, named it after their ruler, Prince Maurice van Nassau. Ebony forests were destroyed by over exploitation and the dodo was exterminated. It later became the symbol of endangered animal species and conservation worldwide.
1710:Dutch Left Mauritius
1715: French took possession of the island and re-named it ‘ Isle de France’