Name
The name Mauritius comes from Prince Maurice Van Nassau, "stadtholder" (governor) of the Dutch Republic, after whom it was named in 1598.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Country
Mauritius
20.30° S, 57.57° E
No land border at all — every neighbor is across water, along 177 km of coast, the 141st longest on Earth.
land borders 0 km · 164th/230 · coastline 177 km · 141st/229
CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · ranks computed across the countries in this atlas that carry the value
- Population
- 1,265,711
- Natural Earth population estimate.
- Area
- 2,040 km²
- Official total area (land + water) from the CIA World Factbook. Computed from the Natural Earth boundary: ≈ 1,874 km².
- Population density
- ≈ 675 / km²
- Population divided by the computed boundary area.
- ISO codes
- MU · MUS
- GDP (nominal)
- $14.95 billion
- Field “Economy → GDP (official exchange rate)” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP per capita (PPP)
- $27,300
- Field “Economy → Real GDP per capita → Real GDP per capita 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
Mauritius 2,040 km²Hong Kong 1,108 km²
geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m · EPSG:6933 equal-area
Where Mauritius sits in the world
Each line is every country in this atlas that carries the value, ordered smallest to largest. The line down the middle is the world median; the mark on each line is this country.
- Median age40 years65th of 224 · median 32.6 years
- Life expectancy75.4 years124th of 224 · median 76.2 years
- Fertility rate1.36 children per woman200th of 225 · median 1.92 children per woman
- Population1,265,711159th of 235 · median 5,454,073
- Total area2,040 km²177th of 228 · median 83,736 km²
- Coastline177 km141st of 229 · median 402 km
Overview
Background
Known to Arab and European sailors since at least the early 1500s, Mauritius was uninhabited until 1638, when Dutch settlers honored Prince Maurits van NASSAU. In 1722, the French established a highly profitable sugar-cane settlement using enslaved labor from other parts of Africa. Plantation owners briefly rejected French control in the 1790s over laws ending slavery, creating autonomous rule.
Britain captured Mauritius in 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars but kept most French administration, reflected in legal codes and widespread French Creole. Slavery ended in 1835, increasing reliance on contracted laborers from the Indian subcontinent for plantations. Mauritius served as a naval base and later air station, supporting World War II anti-submarine, convoy, and signals-intelligence operations. After independence from the UK in 1968 as a Parliamentary Republic, it remained a stable democracy with free elections. Pravind Jugnauth became prime minister in 2017 after his father stepped down and won election in his own right in 2019. Mauritius claims the French island of Tromelin and the British Chagos Archipelago. Since 2017, Mauritius has secured favorable UN General Assembly resolutions and an International Court of Justice advisory opinion in its sovereignty dispute with the UK.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Geography
An island in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is in Southern Africa, east of Madagascar. The main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs. It was the former home of the extinct dodo, a large flightless bird related to pigeons.
Its small coastal plain rises to discontinuous mountains encircling a central plateau. The country's natural resources include arable land and fish. Mont Piton is the highest point. The Indian Ocean is the lowest point.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
People and society
Mauritius's ethnic groups include Indo-Mauritian, Creole, Sino-Mauritian, and Franco-Mauritian people. Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim, other Christian, and other religious affiliations are represented in Mauritius, alongside people with no religion or an unspecified affiliation.
Mauritius has a population density among the world's highest, with urban clusters throughout the main island. These clusters are denser in and around Port Luis, while Rodrigues Island's population is fairly evenly spread, with a slightly denser cluster on its north coast.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Government
A parliamentary republic governs Mauritius. Its legal system is a civil system based on French civil law, with some elements of English common law. The latest constitution was adopted 12 March 1968, after several previous constitutions. Mauritius gained independence from the UK on 12 March 1968. Its national holiday is Independence and Republic Day, 12 March (1968, 1992).
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Flag and symbols
Four equal horizontal bands—red at the top, followed by blue, yellow, and green—form the flag of Mauritius. Red stands for self-determination and independence; blue for the Indian Ocean; yellow for the new light of independence, golden sunshine, or the bright future; and green for agriculture or the island's lush vegetation. Mauritius's national symbols are the dodo bird and the earring tree flower (Trochetia boutoniana).
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Key figures
CIA World Factbook
Economy
- GDP (nominal)
- $14.95 billion
- Field “Economy → GDP (official exchange rate)” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP (PPP)
- $34.41 billion
- Field “Economy → Real GDP (purchasing power parity) → Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP per capita (PPP)
- $27,300
- Field “Economy → Real GDP per capita → Real GDP per capita 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP growth
- +4.7%
- Field “Economy → Real GDP growth rate → Real GDP growth rate 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Inflation (consumer prices)
- 3.6%
- Field “Economy → Inflation rate (consumer prices) → Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Unemployment
- 5.5%
- Field “Economy → Unemployment rate → Unemployment rate 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Exports
- $6.38 billion
- Field “Economy → Exports → Exports 2023” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Imports
- $8.03 billion
- Field “Economy → Imports → Imports 2023” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
People
- Life expectancy
- 75.4 years
- Field “People and Society → Life expectancy at birth → total population” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Median age
- 40 years
- Field “People and Society → Median age → total” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Birth rate
- 9.73 per 1,000
- Field “People and Society → Birth rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Death rate
- 9.14 per 1,000
- Field “People and Society → Death rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Fertility rate
- 1.36 children per woman
- Field “People and Society → Total fertility rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Population growth
- +0.06% a year
- Field “People and Society → Population growth rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Urban population
- 40.9%
- Field “People and Society → Urbanization → urban population” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Literacy
- 94.3%
- Field “People and Society → Literacy → total population” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Languages
- Creole86.5%
- Bhojpuri5.3%
- French4.1%
- two languages1.4%
- others0.1%
- Field “People and Society → Languages” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Religions
- Hindu48.5%
- Roman Catholic26.3%
- Muslim17.3%
- other0.1%
- Field “People and Society → Religions” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
Land
- Total area
- 2,040 km²Land 2,030 km² · Water 10 km²
- Field “Geography → Area → total” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Coastline
- 177 km
- Field “Geography → Coastline” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Land borders
- 0 km
- Field “Geography → Land boundaries → total” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Highest point
- 828 m Mont Piton
- Field “Geography → Elevation → highest point” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
Values from the CIA World Factbook archive. Each carries the year it describes; open a year for the exact source field.
Connections
Within
Contains
Natural geography 3
Natural Earth outlines · features with a Wikidata ID
Oceans 1
Islands 1
Island groups 1
Largest cities 2
Population · Natural Earth
- Port Louiscapital595.5K
- Curepipe300K