Mauritius: The Playground Of The Indian Ocean

On trade and economic front, the Mauritian Minister of Finance announced that Mauritius is to become the world’s first duty-free country in its bid to turn the country into a tourist shopping paradise. The move is a response to a threatened collapse of textile exports to the US under its AGOA – African Growth and Opportunity Act. It is as in Mauritius the sugar regained its sweetness. Mauritius has had one of the world fastest-growing economics. A success story and a profile of this Indian Ocean island nation.

The contrast of a multitude of colors and tastes, the Mauritius Island, set in its turquoise sea, an oasis of peace and tranquility. Mauritius is a melting pot where past and present seems smoothly blended together. The first people to set foot on the island of Mauritius were Arabs probably as early as in 10 century. Arab merchant ships that were been sailing the Indian Ocean for centuries on important trading routes linking the east coast of Africa and Madagascar with the Arabian Peninsula, India and Indonesia. The Mascarene Islands were way off the usual trading routes of Arab and Indian navigators. The islands were discovered probably by chance, when a cyclone caught an Arab dhow unaware and pushed it toward the Mauritius.

Any ship sailing in the southern Indian Ocean out of season faced extreme danger from storms and gales. The northern half the predictability of the monsoon and the known character of the various local winds made it easier for navigators to sail in the desired direction. The time for sailing in an eastward direction began just as the south west monsoon set in, but during the three months from June to August, when the winds were at their strongest, the ports on the western and eastern coasts of India remained closed to shipping.

... know that the wind only blows from a cold place… In all the coasts of the world the wind only comes form the land at night and generally only comes from the sea during the day because of the heating up of the sand by day and the coldness of the sea at night. It comes from the land, because the sea is colder than the land by day and the land is colder than the sea by night ..

writes Ibn Majid, the most famous of Arab navigators in his Kitab AlFawaid. The discovery of the Mascarene Archipelago by Arab seaman comes from copies of Portuguese maps of the early 16th century that depict a group of three small islands south east of Madagascar that bear Arab names. In 1498, the Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gama succeeded in rounding the Cape of Good Hope. Within the next ten years, numerous Portuguese expeditions explored the Indian Ocean, visiting Madagascar, the Seychelles and the Comoro Islands. Around 1507 the group of islands consisting of Mauritius, Reunion and Rodriques were given the names of Mascarenes after the Portuguese captain, Pero Mascarenhas. The Portuguese never attempted to settle on any of the Mascarene Islands. They were much more interested in protecting their trade routes with India. The Dutch settled the island in 1598 and named it Mauritius after Prince of Maurice of Nassau. The Dutch introduced sugar cane and the Java deer before leaving in 1710. During French colonial rule from 1767 to 1810, the capital and main port, Port Louis, became an important center for trade and naval operations against the British. The French named renamed the island "Isle de France". The British Navy won possession of the island, abolished slavery in 1835 and brought in Indian field workers. A small Chinese community also arrived. Mauritius became independent in 1968, has achieved economic stability but still remains part of the Commonwealth. The political history of Mauritius in the twentieth century revolves around the gradual economic and political empowerment of the islands Indian majority. From low income agricultural based economy, Mauritius moved to a diversified economy with growing industrial and service sector. The country has attracted considerable foreign investment has earned one of Africa’s highest per capital incomes with a growing industrial, financial and tourism sector. Mauritius has attracted more than 9.000 offshore entities aimed at commerce in India and south Africa. Investment into banking sector alone has reached over 1 Billion US Dollars. Mauritian companies are now successfully bidding in Mozambique and entering joint ventures with South African companies.

Air Mauritius pride themselves in the quality of their food and in-flight entertainment, and justly so. As in the past the Arab dhows, the flight of Air Mauritius takes over Mozambique and the Mozambique Channel, across Madagascar and eventually passing over the Indian Ocean to Mauritius. The island appears as idyllic from the air as from the ground. A coral reef protects the island, giving calm, safe waters, perfect for every water sport under the sun, including the opportunity to go under water and seem some of the incredible marine life. Sandy beaches, swaying palms and an emerald sea provide the setting for a perfect holiday.

Mauritius is undoubtedly the playground of the Indian Ocean today. Mauritius cuisine echoes the islands diverse population, with English roasts, exotic Indian curries, French cuisine par excellence and Creole and Chinese delicacies. In Mauritius, you can travel to all corners of the globe, without actually leaving the table. The golfing facilities in this strikingly beautiful and delightful part of the world have developed considerable over the past few years.

The greatest Mauritian writer and painter Malcom De Chazal (1920-1982- celebrates the magical island splendor in his writings and painting. Chazals aphorisms are considered by literary critics to express the most remarkable correspondence between words and things, between language and nature, ever attempted. Chazals painting celebrate sunlight, flora, fauna that inspired his observations:

…No matter how much leaves are fixed faced to face they always look at each other aslant, whereas all fruits end up head-on however carelessly jumbled.
A bunch of flowers is a house of colored cards.
Flowers are both knowing and innocent, with experienced mouths but childlike eyes. They bend the two poles of life into a divinely closed circle.
The flower has no weekday self, dressed as it always is in Sunday clothes.
The light would reach us more quickly in the morning and fade more slowly at night if the whole earth were divided into vast flower beds that called forth the light at dawn and clutched it longer at nightfall….

Of volcanic origin and sheltered by barriers of coral reefs forming natural, safe, crystal clear lagoons. Brilliantly colored birds swooping through the open dining areas, warm sun, sparkling on the sea and early morning risers nestling in for a day on the beach…Mauritus offers an essential beauty that will compel to return to its shores time and time again. Mauritius is a country mad about football and horse racing. Here you drive on the left, and tea is served in a daily ritual.

WHAT TO SEE
Botanic gardens, Colored earth of Chamarel, The Bird Garden of Casela, The Nature Park, Aquarium, Creole Houses, Tamarin Falls, Vanilla Crocodile and Tortoise Park, Water park

MAURITIUS IN BRIEF
A mountainous island in the Indian Ocean located approx 2000 km to the south eastern coast of Africa, east of Madagascar
Official name: Republic of Mauritius
Parliamentary democracy within the British Commonwealth
Area: 2.040 sq km with 330 km of coastline
Population: 1.230.602. Capital: Port Louis (577.200)
Languages: English, French (both official) Creole, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori
Ethnicity: Indo Mauritian 68%, Creole 27 %, Sino-Mauritian 3 %, Franko-Mauritian 2%
Literacy rate 86 %
GDP/PPP 11.400 USD
The Mauritian economy is based on textile, tourism, sugar and services
Agriculture on sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses
Industries: food processing, textile, clothing, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment
Natural resources: arable land, fish
Major trading partners: UK, France, US, Madagascar, Belgium, South Africa, India, China. EEC and US have preferential treatment

Air Mauritius operates over 30 weekly flights to and from all the European major cities including 15 combined flights with Air France. British Airway operates four weekly flights. Emirates Airlines three and Condor one.