Invisible to the eye or just a dot on the world map, just above the Tropic of Capricorn, the island of Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean. It is part of the Mascarene Islands, the other two being the Reunion Island and the Rodrigues Island. A tropical paradise, Mauritius is famous for being a green and yet modern country, with the assets of blue lagoons, white sandy beaches, the warm weather and its welcoming people. The climate helps in getting tropical fruits like mangoes, bananas, lychees, pineapple and many others, vegetables like the cabbage, carrots, lettuces among others and a lagoon favoring the culture of many varieties of fish and sea food. This is what contributes to the Mauritian gastronomy, which has its own unique local flavors.
Mauritius has only two seasons: Summer and Winter. Summer is warm and humid, from November to April and winter is cool and dry from May to October. The summer temperatures can vary from 23 degrees to 30 degrees across different places while winter temperatures can vary from 19 degrees to 21 degrees. In both case, the temperatures remain pleasant without any extremes.
Officially now the Republic of Mauritius, the island was under the Dutch, French and British rule for many years and gained its independence on the 12th of March 1968. It became a republic on the same date in 1992. The currency used is the Mauritian rupee and the local language is the Mauritian Creole. The Mauritian people speak both English and French, languages that are compulsory to learn at school.
The Mauritian community is a multicultural one. When the French ruled, they brought slaves from countries like Mozambique, Madagascar, Pondicherry and other places to develop the island. Then came the British rule, under which the slaves were freed but in were brought people from different parts of India to work as indentured laborers. All these people have left a beautiful historical heritage to their descendants, the present citizens of the country.
A developed country, Mauritius is now well-known for offshore business as well. The citizens are well-educated, most now completing studies at least till a Bachelor degree. Education is free till the Higher School Certificate and there are good universities, many affiliated with well-known Universities in England, allowing the pursue of higher levels of education. With time, Mauritius is becoming more and more accessible to foreigners.
There are now flights to and fro from Dubai, England, France, Australia, India, Seychelles, Madagascar, South Africa, Malaysia and other countries. With banks like Hsbc, Barclays, SBI and other facilities like the Moneygram and Western Union, money exchangeis no issue for the foreigners visiting the country.
