Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands. This archipelago was formed in a series of undersea volcanic eruptions, as the African plate drifted over the Reunion hotspot about 10 million years ago.The Republic of Mauritius consists of the most populous main island of Mauritius, sparsely populated Rodrigues to the north-east, the Cargados Carajos Archipelago to the north and the small islands of Agalega 1000km to the north.
The Island of Mauritius is fifty-eight kilometres in length and forty-six kilometres at its widest point. It has a dramatic landscape of wild jagged peaks, a lush central plateau sloping gently down to the white, sandy beaches that are mostly protected by coral reefs just off-shore.The north is the flattest part of the island, rising gently as you move inland. The north-west coast, incorporating the capital city of Mauritius as Port Louis and the popular tourist city of Grand Baie is also the location of some of the best beaches on the island and therefore some of the most idyllic accommodation.
After a brief Dutch settlement, French immigrants who came in 1715 named the island Īle de France and established the first road and harbor infrastructure, as well as the sugar industry, under the leadership of Gov. Mahe de Labourdonnais. Blacks from Africa and Madagascar came as slaves to work in the sugarcane fields. In 1810, the British captured the island and in 1814, by the Treaty of Paris, it was ceded to Great Britain along with its dependencies.
As with all the Indian Ocean islands, the Mauritian Creole is the lingua franca on the island. It is based on French, but contains vocabulary and syntax from the African and Asian languages that slaves spoke in the 18th century.The official languages of Mauritius are English and French, with the latter being more widely spoken and dominating the media. Other languages on the island are those of the immigrants and slaves who were brought to Mauritius from Asia. These include Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Arabic, Cantonese and Mandarin.
The various religions found on Mauritius tend to play a major part in the island's cultural events and churches, temples and mosques are to be found everywhere.Festivals such as Divali (the festival of lights), Holi (in which participants are covered in colourful powders) and Thai Poosam, in which Tamil devotees pierce their bodies with masses of needles as an act of penance, are popularly attended by Mauritians.
Of the remaining Mauritians, approximately a third are Christian and about 15% Muslim, followed by small Buddhist and Sikh communities.There are also a number of diverse practices and superstitions originating in beliefs brought from Africa and Asia. Local sorcerers, known as longanistes or traiteurs, are sometimes called in to settle arguments, exact revenge or administer love potions.
