The tropical gem Mauritius 🏝️ is located off the east coast of Africa 🌍 and spans more than 45 km in width and 65 km in length. It is a tourist haven and can draw travelers of every kind from around the globe ✈️.
This tropical paradise is home to teeming reefs 🐠, sapphire-blue lagoons, lush interiors, vivid sugar cane fields, etc. Also, despite being a small country, it has a few of the best beaches 🏖️ in the world.
So, in this article, we will go through several interesting Mauritius Facts.
Key Facts About Mauritius That Will Amaze You
The country is named after a prince
Mauritius is one of the few nations named after an individual. The Dutch were one of the several Europeans to come to present-day Mauritius.
After their arrival, they claimed the Island Country and even named it in honor of a Dutch prince from the 17th century. The Dutch prince was known as Prince Maurits Van Nassau 👑.
Before the Europeans, the Arabs and Portuguese were in Mauritius
Before the three European powers, the French, Dutch, and British, ruled over Mauritius, the Portuguese, and Arabs had already been there.
In the 9th century A.D., first, the Arabs landed in Mauritius, but they thought it uninhabitable. However, they called this island Dine Arobi. Next, the Portuguese came here, and they also deemed it as an uninhabited land.
Only buccaneers and pirates were rampant there as they took some time on the Indian Ocean to unwind 🏴☠️.
The history of Le Morne Brabant
The UNESCO World Heritage site 🗿 in Mauritius was vital to the island country’s history. It worked as a refuge for enslaved person escape back in the 18th and also 19th centuries. These escapes dominated the mountain and used it as their settlement.
When slavery was abolished, many soldiers went to Le Morne Brabant to tell the runaway slaves that they were free and no longer enslaved people. However, some formerly enslaved people thought the soldiers came to force and dragged them back to the sugar plantation; hence, many jumped to their death 😧.
Mauritius faced different European rule.
Within Mauritius, you will discover a lot of European influences, as the country has been through three separate European rulers 🏰.
First, the Dutch took control of today’s Mauritius in 1638 and gave the country its current name. They ruled over the country until 1710, before the arrival of the French.
When the French took over Mauritius, they called it Isle de France. However, the French rule did not last, as the British invaded the territory in 1810 to continue the power tussle.
After taking over, the British used the last name of the country, “Mauritius.”
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Mauritius
Mauritius is famous for having two of the world’s most famous and most historic UNESCO world heritage sites 🏛️, Le Morne Brabant and Aapravasi Ghat. These two famous landmarks are testimonies to the rich history of the country 😮.
Aapravasi Ghat may be spotted on the bay of Port Louis on the Indian Ocean. It worked as an immigration office of the colonial British of Mauritius.
The other one, Le Morne Brabant, is a Basaltic Mountain on the easternmost part of the Indian Ocean. It is located almost 555 meters above sea level and has a unique beauty to behold.
Piton de la Petite Riviere Noire
Piton de la Petite Riviere Noire, also known as black river peak, is a beautiful mountain providing travelers with a fantastic nature experience. Hiking is one of the most exciting activities to do in Mauritius, and the black river peak is a trendy destination for that 🤗.
So, if you are an adventure-lover, you can access this mountaintop through the Black River Gorges National Park and Chamarel. This trail is known as the toughest and longest.
Also, you may choose to use the easier route of the hiking trail of the Black River Peak.
After the abolishment of slavery, Indentured Labourers arrived here.
After taking control of Mauritius, the British had a flourishing sugar plantation on the island country of Mauritius. In 1835, the British abolished slavery in Mauritius.
It felt like a rash decision at the time as they realized without the enslaved people, they had no one to work on their sugar plantations. Thus, they had to contact indentured laborers, mainly from India.
This helps us to know why most Mauritius have a similar culture and physical appearance to the Indians. The laborers were contracted between 1834 and 1920.
Here you will see an underwater waterfall.
Another exciting fact about Mauritius is that it is one of the several nations with an underwater waterfall. In Mauritius, this waterfall is an illusion underneath the water 🌊.
While looking from the top, you will see an image that looks like the entire island is being sucked through a drain. Also, on the Ocean’s shore, you will see the sand and silt that forms this waterfall. So, many people love to swim around this unique underwater waterfall 😊.
Mauritius is one of the most visited islands.
Though there are many beautiful islands in the Caribbean 🏝️, Mauritius is still one of the most visited islands in the world 🌍.
The nation has won the award of the world’s leading island destination at least three times. The island has been pinned as a fantastic honeymoon destination for many travelers.
Hence, Mauritius ranks high as one of the most visited nations in Africa.
There are multiple climates in Mauritius.
Mauritius experiences multiple climates throughout the nation all year round. A few of Mauritius’s climate conditions include subtropical, tropical, and maritime environments 🌧️.
In some years, the cyclone season occurs between January and March, and the southeast trade winds generally appear between March and November. Also, the best time to visit Mauritius is between May to December.
Coral Reefs surround it
Another interesting fact about Mauritius is that the country is home to the third-largest coral reef in the world. Lagoons protected by coral reefs surround this beautiful island country 🐡.
These reefs help protect the beautiful white sand beaches of the country from jellyfish and sharks. Thus, some exciting and fun activities in Mauritius include snorkeling and scuba diving.
Here you will see more women than men.
Mauritius is one of those few nations in the world where you will see more population of women than men 😮.
As of 2022, there are almost 97 men for every 100 women, which gives Mauritius a healthy gender ratio 👩👩👧👧.
The national dish of Mauritius is Dholl Puri.
Mauritius cuisine has an exciting blend of African, Indian, French, and Chinese influences 🍽️. Due to the unique location of this country, seafood and fruits are even present in the dishes of Mauritius.
However, the national dish and the most popular dish in Mauritius is dholl puri; it is a pancake-style dish made with cumin, split peas, and turmeric. It is even stuffed with ingredients like butter beans and curry, and usually, dholl puri is served with chilies and mango chutney 😋.
Festivals in Mauritius
All year round, in this island country of Mauritius, there is one festival or another to celebrate. Some of the most popular festivals in this island country include Christmas 🎉. The people of Mauritius celebrate Cavadee, Easter, the Chinese Spring Festival, and Holi, among many other festivals.
Religion in Mauritius
The constitution of Mauritius did not place any embargo on Mauritius’ religious practices. Citizens of this island country have the freedom to follow whatever religion they like.
Religious diversity is another interesting fact about this country, and it is the only African nation with Hinduism as its primary religion 🕉️. Almost 45% of Mauritius citizens practice Hinduism, 17.3% are Muslim, and 26.3% practice Christianity, mainly Roman Catholics.
These are the three most prominent religions here; however, some other religions are practiced in Mauritius.
Dressing in Mauritius
Due to their mode of dressing 👚👖, some people often mistake them for Indians. Most Mauritians prefer wearing Indian dresses like churidars and saris and have a similar facial appearance to Indians.
Churidaars and saris are a vital part of the culture of Mauritius; however, many people still prefer Western dresses because of the influence of their colonial masters.
It is a country with no official language.
A fascinating fact about Mauritius is that though this country had many European rulers, it still had no official language 🗣️❌. English is one of the country’s most used languages, and French is widely spoken in Mauritius.
The lingua franca of the Mauritius people is Creola, a specific French dialect. Even though French and English are widely spoken in this island country, Mauritius has no recognized language.
The national sport of Mauritius is football.
Soccer or football is the national sport in Mauritius ⚽. Although it is not the only sport played in the nation, it is definitely, the most popular. Handball, badminton, winter horse, and basketball are some of the other exciting activities enjoyed by the people of Mauritius.
Mauritius’s men’s national team is known as Club M and Les Dodos. However, they are not one of the powerhouses of football in Africa 😮💨.
Their most significant achievement as a nation was qualifying for the 1974 AFCON; however, they have no trophies in their cabinet.
The highest point in Mauritius
The highest point in Mauritius is the Black River peak, with an elevation of almost 828 meters above sea level. It is one of the three different mountain ranges in Mauritius ⛰️.
The capital city of Mauritius
The capital of Mauritius is Port Louis 🏙️, the most beautiful and largest city in Mauritius.t has a total area of 46.7 square km.
So, Mauritius is an exciting city with fascinating culture, rich history, captivating beaches, delicious cuisine, and many more.
At the end of this article, we learned 20 interesting facts that give us a clear picture of this unique island country, Mauritius. You can see our website if you want to know other interesting facts.
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