Country Information
Mauritius (officially the Republic of Mauritius and in French: Maurice), formerly Île de France, is an island in the Indian Ocean and belongs to the Mascarene Islands archipelago. The Mascarene Islands archipelago also includes the island of Réunion and Rodrigues, which belongs to Mauritius. The St. Brandon Islands and the two Agalega Islands are also Mauritian territories.
Just north of Mauritius lie five other uninhabited islands, of which Round Island is the best known. Mauritius lies 855 km east of Madagascar. Mauritius is 1864 km² in size, Rodrigues is 103 km² in size. The entire state, along with all its territories, is 2045 km² in size. Mauritius is approximately the same size as the province of Utrecht.
Mauritius is of volcanic origin and was formed 13 million years ago. The volcanoes on the island have been dormant for 200,000 years, although lava still flowed out 10,000 years ago.
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The fact that the country is of volcanic origin is still visible in the millions of volcanic stones lying on the ground. The central plateau reaches heights of over 600 metres in places, with the highest point being Piton de la Rivière Noire (813 m). The mountains are not so much remarkable for their height, but for their rugged and distinctive shapes. Deep ravines with spectacular waterfalls can also be seen.
Coral reefs lie off the highly indented coastline. These coral reefs, as it were, protect Mauritius from the influences of the sea. Inland, there are a number of large crater lakes. Mauritius has approximately sixty rivers. The Grand River South East is the longest at nearly 40 km. The Rivière du Poste is 24 km long. Where the original vegetation still exists, tropical primeval forest is found.
Holidays and Sightseeing
After textiles and sugarcane, tourism is the third source of income for Mauritius. Approximately 15,000 Mauritians earn their living in the tourism sector.
The first fifty tourists arrived in Mauritius in 1952. The number of tourists visiting Mauritius annually is currently around 500,000. Tourists come mainly from France (160,000), Réunion (83,000), Great Britain (51,000), South Africa (50,000), and Germany (43,000). The number of Dutch people travelling to Mauritius is still limited, at approximately 6,500 per year. For Europeans, the months of December and January are the most popular.
The government is implementing a tourism policy that is more interested in quality than quantity. Consequently, Mauritius does not have a great deal to offer the “backpacker”.
Mauritius has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Each with unique tropical marine flora and fauna, sheltered by coral reefs. The turquoise lagoons, golden sand and warm sun are the main attractions. Each beach will leave an unforgettable impression. Grand Baie is considered the Côte d’Azur of the island, with a wide variety of Hotels, booutiques, restaurants and nightclubs. Pereybère, Mont Choisy and Trou aux Biches are among the best places to swim in Mauritius.
A network of walking trails criss-crosses the wild and unspoilt Black River Gorges National Park. Signposting isn’t always very clear, so check the route and conditions at the information centres before setting off. Look out for the rare tambalacoque (dodo tree), the black ebony trees and the wild guavas. Birdwatchers should keep an eye out for the Mauritian kestrel, the pink pigeon, the echo parakeet and the Mauritian cuckoo-shrike. This national park is vast, and the forest covers 3.5% of the island’s surface area. The forest is home to over 300 species of flowering plants and nine bird species that are unique in the world.
Climate and Weather
The tropical maritime climate in Mauritius is generally quite uniform, but can vary greatly from place to place. For example, it is warmest on the coast and can be five degrees cooler on the central plateau at the same time. It is also remarkable that it is dry on the coast while it rains inland, and vice versa. And this for an island measuring only 58 by 47 kilometres. The weather on the east and west coasts can also differ at the same time. The highest temperatures are recorded from January to April, between 25 and 35° Celsius. This is also the season for cyclones, with Mauritius being directly hit on average once every fifteen years. Mauritius more often experiences several days of heavy rainfall, as a residual effect of cyclones that have raged nearby. There is no rainy season; it can rain anywhere every day. The Mauritian “winter” lasts from July to September, when the temperature does not exceed 24°C during the day and 16°C at night. For Europeans, this is a perfect temperature. Furthermore, there is less rain and it is less oppressively hot during this period. In the capital, Port Louis, an average of about 200 mm of rain falls in the months of January to April. From September to November, an average of about 40 mm falls. The number of rainy days in Port Louis varies from 15 in October to 24 in July. The temperature of the seawater fluctuates between 22 and 27°C.
Source: landenweb.nl
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