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Background: Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.
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Common Name: Mauritius
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Local Official Name: Mauritius
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Abbreviated Name: Republic of Mauritius
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Official Name: Mauritius
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Official Script Name: Mauritius
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Local Common Name: Mauritius
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Former Name: Mauritius
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Karl OFFMANN
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Government Type: parliamentary democracy
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Independence: 1968 March 12 (from UK)
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Constitution: 1968 March 12 (amended 12 March 1992)
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 12 March
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International Organization Participation: 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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Administrative Divisions: 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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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas
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Suffrage: 18 years of age years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
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%
Legislative Branch:
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
Jidicial Branch:
Supreme Court
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Party Leaders: 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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International Disputes: Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation in 2001; claims French-administered Tromelin Island
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Illicit Drugs: minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally
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Location of Mauritius: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
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Continent: Africa
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Land Area Total: 2,040 sq km
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Region: Eastern African |
Land Area Land: 2,030 sq km
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Capitol City: Port Louis
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Land Area Water: 10 sq km
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Current:
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Latitude: 020 17 S
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Border Boundary Land: 0 km
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Longitude: 057 33 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 177 km
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Arable Land: 49.00 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 3.00 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 828 m
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Location: Mont Piton
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Indian Ocean
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Largest City in Mauritius: Port Louis
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Port Louis Largest City Population: 172,000
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Threatened Species: 0
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Environmental Issues: water pollution, degradation of coral reefs
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Irrigated Land: 200
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Bordering Countries: NA
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Natural Resources: arable land, fish
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Geographical Terrain: small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau
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Comparative Area of Mauritius: almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC
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Mauritius's Geography: the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Mauritius.
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General Climate: tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
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Natural Hazards: cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards
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Economic Overview: 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: $12,900,000,000 USD
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Currency: Mauritian rupee
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GDP per Capita: $10,800 USD
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Currency Code: MUR
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GDP Growth Rate: 5.20 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% MUR
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Currency Exchange Rate History: 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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GDP of Agriculture: 6.00 %
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GDP of Industry: 33.00 %
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GDP of Services: 61.00 % |
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Inflation Rate: 4.20 % |
Population in Poverty: 10.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 8.60 %
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Tourism: 0.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $1,100,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $1,200,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 1,285,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 1,195,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 91.05%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 8.95%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $2,300,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $42,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish
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Primary Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery; tourism
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Industrial Growth Rate: 8.00 %
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Import Amount in USD: $2,000,000,000 USD - manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
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Import Partners: South Africa 20.0%, France 19.0%, India 9.0%, Hong Kong 5.2%, UK
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Export Amount in USD: $1,600,000,000 USD - clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses
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Export Partners: UK 25.8%, France 20.8%, US 16.0%, South Africa 10.9%, Germany, Italy
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GINI Index: 0.37%
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Labor Force Number of People: 514,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: construction and industry 36%, services 24%, agriculture and fishing 14%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, transportation and communication 7%, finance 3%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 16 |
Number of People with Radios: 420,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 2 |
Number of People with Televisions: 258,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 245,000 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 60,482 |
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Internet Service Providers: 2 |
Internet Users: 87,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .mu |
Newspapers: 76 |
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Two Letter Country Code: MU |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: +230 |
Electricity Voltage: Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: small system with good service
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries
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Highways: 1,786 km |
Railways: 0 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 0 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 2 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 100 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 0 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 0.00 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 66,004 GRT/90,017 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, combination bulk 2, container 2, refrigerated cargo 2
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience:, Belgium 1, India 3, Norway 1, Switzerland 2
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Ports and Harbors: Port Louis
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Population: 1,200,206 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 16.34 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 576.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 6.81 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 0.86% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 2.00 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 153,810 |
Population Female 0-14: 150,464 |
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Population Male 15-64: 409,028 |
Population Female 15-64: 411,070 |
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Population Male 65+: 30,170 |
Population Female 65+: 45,664 |
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Population 0-14: 25.40% |
Literacy Rate: 82.90% |
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Population 15-64: 63.80% |
Literacy rate of Males: 87.10% |
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Population 65+: 6.30% |
Literacy rate of Females: 78.80% |
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Population that is Male: 49.00
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Population that is Female: 51.00% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 71.53 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 16.65 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 67.54 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 75.58 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.08%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 0
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: -0.92
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Nationality: MAURITIAN
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Ethnic Groups: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
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Primary Language: English
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Other Languages: English (official), Creole, French (official), Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri
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Primary Religion: Hindu
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Other Religions: Hindu 52%, Christian 28.3% (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%), Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%
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Branches: National Police Force (includes the paramilitary Special Mobile Force or SMF and National Coast Guard)
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Manpower Fit to Serve: NA years
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Manpower Available: 340,050 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 171,239 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 0 People per year
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Expenditures: $9,100,000 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 0.20
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Mauritius Spa and Resort Directory
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