Geography of Mauritius

Where is the country of Mauritius located on world map? According to COUNTRYAAH.COM, Mauritius is an independent nation located in Eastern Africa. Mauritius became an independent nation on March 12, 1968. This marked the end of a long struggle for independence from British colonial rule. The country was declared independent by its first Prime Minister Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam with the slogan “Freedom and Justice”. This day was celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm by the citizens of Mauritius all over the country and abroad. Mauritius has since then established itself as a democratic nation and is now a member of the United Nations, African Union and other international organizations. The country is now on its way to becoming one of Africa’s most prosperous nations with a vibrant economy and rich cultural heritage. See historyaah for Mauritius history.

Nature

Terrain shapes and bedrock

The islands volcanic bedrock has been built up over the last 30 million years. The erosion has worn down the volcanic canyons so that the country’s highest point, Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire on the main island, is only 828 m asl. The main part of the main island consists of a highland with about twenty well-preserved volcanic craters. Lava flows from these have weathered and created fertile soils.

Several rivers drain the highlands, most and farthest are the rivers on the island’s rainy east side.

• AbbreviationFinder: Offer a full list of commonly used abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms related to the state of Mauritius.

Climate

The annual average temperature is 23-24 °C on the coasts and down to 19 °C in the highest parts of the main island. The annual rainfall on the main island is 1,000–2,000 mm on the west side and up to 4,500 mm on the east side of the high plateau. Tropical cyclones are common in June – December.

Plant-and animal life

The islands were originally covered by rainforest. Nowadays, all natural forest is gone at Rodrigues. On the main island, only fragments of lowland rainforest remain on the western slopes between Mont du Rempart and Shamarel, and highland forests are found only in the southwest in the Macchabee – Bel Ombre reserve. On the east side of the island are mangrove forests, largely harvested. About 90% of the cultivable area (45% of the total area) is covered by sugar cane plantations. Upwards of 900 species of vascular plants are known from the main island, of which about 1/3 are endemic.

Wildlife on land is relatively poor and severely threatened. A number of species are already extinct; Most famous are drone and solitaire. The only native land mammals are some bat species. There are coral reefs around the islands.

Nature conservation

In 2011, there was a national park, the Black River Gorges on the southwest side of the main island, a biosphere reserve and away 20 nature reserves, of which Macchabee-Bel Ombre on the main island alone occupies more than half the protected area.

Dictionary of History

Mauritius is an island state of the Indian Ocean, in the Mascarene archipelago. Uninhabited when the Portuguese arrived (1505), it was named after Maurice, Count of Nassau at the time of the first Dutch colonization attempt (17th century). The French who occupied the island of Mauritius in 1715, renaming it Ile de France, cultivated sugar cane there, using black slaves. The British (from 1810) favored immigration from Africa and India, promoting the polarization of society between Indians and Franco-Mauritian Creoles. In the twentieth century it was the descendants of the first who led the nationalist struggle in competition with the Creoles who, although stubbornly remained Francophone, were inclined to maintain a relationship with Great Britain. After independence (1968) the 1992 constitutional reform transformed Mauritius.