SNAPSHOT MAURITIUS
A “snapshot” of Mauritius and everything else you need to know.
Did you know that…
- The Dutch lived in Mauritius for 100 years from 1600 till 1700 and were the first to do so. The French lived in Mauritius from 1710 to 1810 and the British took control after that from 1810 till the independence in 1968.
- Mauritius is called after the Dutch Prince Maurits van Nassau.
- Mauritius is high on the list of the World Bank of ‘ease of doing business’ in the world.
- Mauritius has a relatively high per capita income, around 9000 US Dollars per year.
- Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius offer a high quality of living and Mauritius can be considered a safe place
Why choose Mauritius for your internship?
- Mauritius is an Emerging Market!
- English and French fluently spoken. Most interns are fluent in English, French is an advantage.
- Natural beauty of the country. It has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
- Safe environment. However we still want you to be cautious.
- Social and political stability. Mauritius has been a stable Republic since 1992.
- Multicultural population. You will learn a lot about many different cultures!
- Education based on the British system.
1. Geographic
Adrift in the Indian Ocean the island of Mauritius is situated approximately 2000 km South of the Seychelles. Enjoying a subtropical climate the island boasts 330 km of coastline.
2. Landscape
Mauritius owes its origins to volcanic activity thus resulting in spectacular mountain ranges; the highest peak is over 800 meters above sea level. The hilly landscape was traditionally covered with subtropical rain forest. The plainer areas of the island are mostly used for sugar cane plantations. The coast is surrounded by beautiful coral reefs.
3. Population
Mauritius has 1.2 million inhabitants, of which around 200.000 live in the capital Port Louis. The society is multicultural. The biggest ethnic group (more than 50%) has its origins in the Indian Sub Continent: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The second group is Creole and the third one is Chinese. Europeans (mainly originally from France) are the fourth group. Thanks to this big ethnic diversity there are many religions; Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.
4. History
The first Europeans to discover Mauritius were the Portuguese. The island was conquered by The Netherlands in 1598 and was called Mauritius after Prince Maurits of Nassau. In 1712 the French took control of the Island and from 1810 the British were in power. Mauritius became independent in 1968 and has been a Republic since 1992.
5. Geographic
The official language is English, whilst French and “Creole”, a dialect from “old French”, are widely spoken. Other languages are Hindi and Mandarin.
6. Economy
The island is fairly prosperous and Mauritius is an “emerging market”. Tourism and agriculture (mainly sugar cane) are important sectors. Industry and financial services are growing. The textile sector has been important. Many fashion brands are still manufactured here.
7. Placement Mauritius
The strong economic growth of Mauritius offers good opportunities to do internships in:
- Tourism (900.000 tourists per year in 2007 to 2.000.000 in 2015)
- Textiles
- ICT – “Cyber Island”
- Free Port – “Export Processing Zone”
- Finance – “Offshore Banking Center”
- Business
- Health / Education
- Construction
8. Conclusion
“You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first and then heaven and that heaven was copied after Mauritius”. In this one sentence, the author Mark Twain showed his admiration for this paradise island in the Indian Ocean. The island is a colorful cocktail of people, languages, traditions and religions. It has the charm of darkest Africa, the spiciness of India, the sophistication of China, the chic of France and the school uniforms of England.