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NAVIGATION
Republic of Mauritius
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius
conventional short form: Mauritius |
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Port Louis |
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Administrative divisions:
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9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne |
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Independence:
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12 March 1968 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 12 March (1968) |
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Constitution:
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12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992 |
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Legal system:
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based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Karl OFFMANN (since 25 February 2002) and Vice President Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 17 September 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister Paul BERENGER (since 17 September 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 25 February 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly election results: Karl OFFMANN elected president and Raouf BUNDHUN elected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Assembly (66 seats; 62 elected by popular vote, 4 appointed by the election commission from the losing political parties to give representation to various ethnic minorities; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next to be held by September 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - MSM/MMM 52.3%, MLP/PMSD 36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party - MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6, OPR 2 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] - in coalition with MSM; Mauritian Militant Renaissance or MMR [Dr. Paramhansa NABABSING]; Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH] - governing party; Rodrigues Movement or OPR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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various labor unions |
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International organization participation:
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ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983 telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492 chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador John PRICE
embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450 telephone: [230] 202-4400 FAX: [230] 208-9534 |
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Flag description:
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four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on foreign investment. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector and responsible fiscal management, was well-poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $12.9 billion (2001 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.2% (2001 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $10,800 (2001 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 6%
industry: 33% services: 61% (1999 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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10% (2001 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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0 (1987 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4.2% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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514,000 (1995) (1995) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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construction and industry 36%, services 24%, agriculture and fishing 14%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, transportation and communication 7%, finance 3% (1995) (1995) |
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Unemployment rate:
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8.6% (2001 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $1.1 billion
expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
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Industries:
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food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery; tourism |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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8% (2000 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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1.285 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 91%
hydro: 9% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.195 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2000) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish |
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Exports:
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$1.6 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses |
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Exports - partners:
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UK 25.8%, France 20.8%, US 16.0%, South Africa 10.9%, Germany, Italy (2000 est.) |
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Imports:
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$2 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals (1996) |
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Imports - partners:
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South Africa 20.0%, France 19.0%, India 9.0%, Hong Kong 5.2%, UK (2000 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$2.3 billion (2000 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$42 million (1997) (1997) |
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Currency:
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Mauritian rupee (MUR) |
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Currency code:
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MUR |
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Exchange rates:
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Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 30.345 (January 2002), 29.129 (2001), 26.250 (2000), 25.186 (1999), 22.993 (1998), 21.057 (1997) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 July - 30 June |