Mauritius, an Indian Ocean island nation, is known for its beaches, lagoons and reefs. The mountainous interior includes Black River Gorges National Park, with rainforests, waterfalls, hiking trails and wildlife like the flying fox. Capital Port Louis has sites such as the Champs de Mars horse track, Eureka plantation house and 18th-century Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens
Mauritius is the only known habitat of the exotic Dodo bird. Author, Lewis Carrol, drew inspiration from a stuffed dodo when writing Alice in Wonderland. Mauritius is the only country in Africa to have a Hindu majority. Port Louis is one of the most ancient cities in the country.
Mauritians are proud to live harmoniously and celebrate all religions and ethnicities. That means you might catch an incredible festival, you can try different cuisine and discover beautiful temples and churches across the island. Every community in Mauritius brings a part of their culture to our island tapestry.
68% of residents are of Indian origin with roots in Bhojpuri, Tamil, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu. 27% are Creoles, either Franco-Mauritian or from Rodrigues. Added to that 3% are Chinese and 2% of European descent. Religion Hinduism is the primary religion in Mauritius with around 52% identifying as Hindu.
The Constitution of Mauritius doesn’t single out any official national languages, but it does states that "The official language of the Assembly shall be English but any member may address the chair in French," which suggests that French and English are the de facto official languages.
Multilingualism is common in Mauritius. While English is one of the de facto official languages, it is spoken by a small percentage of islanders. It is estimated that 53% of Mauritians are Creole speakers, a French-originated dialect. Indian languages are also present: Bhojpuri (31.4%), Tamil (3.5%), Hindi (2.8%), Urdu (2.7%), and Chinese languages have about 3% of speakers. French is the mother tongue of around 3% of Mauritians and English is taught in schools. There is a vast overlap of languages within the country which reflects its multi-ethnic character. The most widely practiced languages however, in order, are: Creole, French and English.
The Republic of Mauritius enjoys a mild tropical maritime climate throughout the year with a warm humid summer extending from November to April and a relatively cold dry winter from June to September. The months of May and October are commonly known as transitional months.
The sea temperature is warm all year round, reaching 27 °C during summer which is 10 degrees warmer than the UK summer sea temperature. Mauritius has only two seasons: summer (warm and humid) and winter (cooler and drier). It does not experience a distinct spring or autumn.
