Information on Mauritius

MAURITIUS
Friendly Island of Dreams

Spending your most special day anywhere other than paradise simply just wouldn't do! Mauritius provides the perfect venue for your wedding day. Exchange your vows on a palm-fringed beach with the setting sun casting a romantic glow over the wide blue ocean. Sip champagne before a romantic dinner by candlelight as the summer breeze cools the evening air. Let the romance continue with your honeymoon. Laze on the beach, take romantic moonlight walks and maybe take a sunset champagne cruise while you make plans for your new lives together.

Only virgin beaches embraced by coral reefs, translucent sea lagoons, weird and wonderful landscapes, chic hotels, sophisticated cuisine, charming, cosmopolitan people - like a paradise free from original sin.

Mauritius is a year-round destination. Temperatures during the warm, dry months between April and October are normally in the mid-20s, rising to the upper 20s in the summer months between November and March. Dress is cool and casual - swimsuits and pareos for the day and smart casual for the evenings. During cooler months, a jacket or light sweater for evening are recommended.

Language

The official language is English - but the most widely spread is French and the local dialect, Creole. Teaching is in English but written and spoken press predominantly in French.

Most Mauritians also speak their native language such as Hindi, Chinese, Urdu, etc...

Electricity

All appliances use 220V. The most common electrical plug is the UK 3-pin.

Currency

The currency of Mauritius is the rupee. Indicative buying exchange rates for the rupee are :

For currency in notes :

United Kingdom GBP 1 = Rs 48.00 (rough guide only)
USA USD 1 = Rs 23.85 (rough guide only)
Germany DEM 1 = Rs 14.24 (rough guide only)
France FRF 1 = Rs 4.27 (rough guide only)

Credit Cards

Major credit cards - American Express, Diners, Mastercard and Visa - are accepted in most shops and hotels.

Geography

The island of Mauritius occupies a choice section of the Indian Ocean. It is situated just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, in latitude 20º south and longitude 57º 35' east of Greenwich.

Mauritius is approximately 855 kilometres off the east coast of Madagascar, Africa being the neared continent with Mombasa some 1800 kilometres away. Mauritius is a volcanic island about 10 million years old - only 1,865 square kilometres in area.

The Central Plateau reaches 800 m in altitude with the highest peak, Piton de la Riviere Noire hitting 828 m. The coastline of 330 kilometres is almost entirely surrounded by one of the largest unbroken coral reefs in the world.

History

Mauritius was known to the early Arabs traders as it can be found marked on their maps, but the first visitors from Europe were the Portuguese who landed in 1510.

They used the island as a victualling stop on the way to Goa and Malacca but did not settle. The first attempt at colonisation was made by the Dutch who arrived in 1598 and named the island Mauritius after Prince Maurice of Nassau. They introduced sugar, Malagasy slaves and a herd of Javanese deer. But they were also heedlessly destructive and are said to be responsible for the disappearance of the magnificent ebony forests and the extinction of the famous dodo. They eventually abandoned their settlements in 1710.

The French occupied the island which they renamed Isle de France between 1715 and 1810 and many place names are reminders of this period. In 1810 with the British take-over, the name reverted to Mauritius. The abolition of slavery lead to the importation of Chinese and Indian indentured labourers, who were followed by traders of their own nationalities. Mauritius gained independence from Britain on 12 March 1968 and since then has been an independent sovereign nation within the British Commonwealth. On 12 March 1992, Mauritius became a Republic.