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International Students
About Mauritius
“Mauritius was made first, and then heaven; and that heaven was copied after Mauritius." - Mark Twain, "Following the equator" 1897. |
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At a Glance:
Mauritius is an island situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean, about 2,400 km off the east coast of Africa and about 5,000 km off the south coast of India. The pear-shaped island occupies 1865 square kilometres and is encircled by a continuous barrier of coral reefs giving Mauritius its beautiful blue lagoon. The Island has a population of around 1.2 million, of which 150, 000 reside in the capital city of Port-Louis. Given the rich history, Mauritius has become a cosmopolitan country with over half the population being of Indian origin, while the remaining population is composed mainly of Créoles, descendants of Africa, Sino-Mauritians and Franco-Mauritians, the original settlers of the island. The island has been a colony of the French and British for over two centuries. It became independent in 1968 and a Republic in 1992. Since its independence, Mauritius has always had a democratically elected government. |
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Weather: Mauritius has a tropical climate with two seasons. Summer is from November to April, whilst winter is from May to October. In summer the temperature varies between 20ºC and 33ºC. Winter temperature ranges from 15ºC to 25ºC. In general the weather is very comfortable and pleasant. However, Mauritius is sometimes visited by tropical cyclones during the peak summer time. The rainy season is from December to April. |
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Languages: Even though English is the official language of the island, Créole, French, and Asian dialects are more commonly used. |
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Economy: Sugar, Tourism, Textiles, and Financial Sector form the four pillars of the Mauritian economy. Recently, the Government has invested massively in the ICT sector, with the creation of its first Cybercity, which will be another pillar of the economy. Every year there are 600,000 tourists visiting Mauritius for its beautiful beaches, warm weather, excellent hotels, safe resort, and courteous people among other attractions. |
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Telecommunication: Mauritius has a very good communication infrastructure, thus providing the latest technologies to enable very efficient exchange with the rest of the world. Cellular phone services are widely used along with the traditional phones. Internet access is available in almost every home through a telephone line. For faster Internet access, ADSL technology can be obtained from local ISP providers. |
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| Currency: The approximate exchange rate of the Mauritian currency (Rs) is as follows: United States (USD) $ 1 = Rs 31 Great Britain (GBP) £ 1 = Rs 54 Euro (EUR) € 1 = Rs 37 |
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Transport: Buses are the most popular transport medium to go around the island. You can also rent cars, motorcycles and bicycles from local tour operators. However, there are no trains or tramways, since Mauritius is a small island. |
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Cuisine: Mauritius has a magnificent diversity of cuisines to offer. The most common varieties are Créole, Indian, European, and Chinese with seafood almost always the specialty. A typical Mauritian buffet might include a Muslim bryani, Indian chicken curry, Chinese pork dish, Créole roast beef and French-style vegetables. Boiled rice is served with just about everything. Most restaurants offer a good variety of vegetarian dishes and favourite beverages of International brands as well as some local specialities. |
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Music: There is an excellent variety of music programs on many Radio channels 24 hours a day, to satisfy anybody’s taste. Very often popular singers from abroad come to Mauritius to give a live performance. |
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