Population: 1,189,825 (July 2001 est.)

Languages: English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori

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...

Currency: Mauritian Rupee (MUR, MUR (29.00 = US$1))

Data from CIA World Factbook. Click on CIA link for more. Click on map or flag for larger images.