The history of Mauritius

The first known visitors to the island of Mauritius is believed to be the Arabs way back in the 10th century.

The Portuguese

The Portuguese are the first Europeans to have visited the island sometime at the beginning of the 16th century.

The Dutch

In 1598 the Dutch landed on the island at Grand port in the south east. Named “Mauritius” in honour of prince Maurits van Nassau. The last settlers leave Mauritius in 1710.

The French

The French landed in 1715 and renamed the island “Isle de France”. From this period on colonisation started and trade flourished. This lead to an increase to the slave trade, mainly from

Madagascar Mozambique.

The British

The British landed in the north and  conquered the island in 1810. They renamed the island “Mauritius” A few years later slavery was abolished. Laws, religion and

customs were allowed to remain.

Independence

In 1968 independence was proclaimed. In March 1992 Mauritius changed its status to a “Republic”

 

For more information please visit the following

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Mauritius

 

 

 

 

 

Where is Mauritius

People often ask the question “where is Mauritius”

Mauritius is an island in the Indian Ocean. It situated at 20°17’S and 57°33’E. It is about 855 kilometres east of Madacascar 

It has a land mass of approx 718 square miles or 1860 square kilometres. The island of Mauritius is about 58 km from north to south and 47 km from east to west.

There is over 145 kilometres of beautiful white sandy beaches. The lagoon is protected from the open sea by a coral reef which encircles most of Mauritius. The coral reef is the third largest in the world

Port Louis with a population of 147,688 is the capital of Mauritius is

For more detailed information please visit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Mauritius