Local Information

History

The Island is reputed to have been first named as Dina Mashriq by a passing Arab dhow captain but the Portuguese are thought to be the first to land on the Island around 1510. They did not colonise it but used it for resting and re-stocking supplies on their way to Goa and Mallaca. They named the Island "Cirne", The Swan.

The first settlers were the Dutch in 1598.

They named the Island Mauritius after Prince Maurice de Nassau. The Dutch introduced sugar cane, a herd of Javanese deer and slaves from Africa. They abandoned the settlement in 1710 and Mauritius became inhabited by pirates until the French took possession in 1715 and it became known as the Ile de France.

The Island's Governor from 1734-1746, Mahé de Labourdonnais laid firm foundations for the future of the Colony. When the British captured the Island in 1810 the Colony was a fairly prosperous agricultural, commercial and military centre. The Island was renamed Mauritius.

With the abolition of slavery in 1835 large numbers of Indian indentured labourers were brought to work on the sugar cane plantations. Many of them settled on the Island, their descendants forming the bulk of today's population. Chinese people also came to set up shops and small businesses.

Mauritius achieved independence on 12th March 1968 with Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam as its first Prime Minister. On 12th March 1992 it was proclaimed a Republic, and remains a member of the Commonwealth with English the official language. Today Mauritius is a settled and stable multi cultural society with a democratic system modelled on the British Westminster Parliamentary system.

Population

Approx. 1.2 million. Half the population is Hindu, the remaining population is made up of Chinese, Creole, Muslim and Franco Mauritian.