Wayzata World Factbook 1994/World Factbook - 1994 Edition - Wayzata Technology (1994).iso/pc/text/txtfiles/mauritiu.bkg

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#CARD:Mauritius:Entry Requirements
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BACKGROUND NOTES:  MAURITIUS
PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
US DEPARTMENT OF STATE
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NOVEMBER 1992
OFFICIAL NAME:  MAURITIUS
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PROFILE
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Geography
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Area:  1,865 sq. km. (720 sq. mi.), about the size of Rhode Island; east
of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
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Dependencies:  Rodrigues Island and the Agalega Islands and Cargados
Carajos Shoals; Mauritius also claims sovereignty over the Chagos
Archipelago, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, where the US
naval base of Diego Garcia is located. Cities (1990):
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Capital--Port Louis (pop. 132,460).  Other cities--Beau Bassin and
Rose Hill (91,518), Curepipe (65,414), Vacoas-Phoenix (56,452),
Quatre Bornes (65,207).
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Terrain:  Volcanic island surrounded by coral reefs.  A central plateau is
rimmed by mountains.
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Climate:  Tropical; cyclone season mid-December-April.
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People
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Nationality:  Noun and adjective--Mauritian(s).
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Population (1991 est):  1 million.
Population density:  1,313/sq. mi.
Avg. annual growth rate (1991):  1%.
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Ethnic groups:  Indo-Mauritians 68%, Creoles 27%, Sino-Mauritians
3%, Franco-Mauritians 2%.
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Religions:  Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim.  Languages:  Creole
(common), French, English (official), Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri.
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Education:  Years compulsory--6 (primary school).  Attendance
(primary school)--virtually universal.  Literacy--adult population 80%;
school population 90%.
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Health (1991):  Infant mortality rate--20/1,000.  Life expectancy--male
66 yrs; female 74 yrs.
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Work force (March 1991):  407,618.
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Manufacturing--32%.  Agriculture and fishing--17%.  Government
services--14%.  Other--37%.
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Government
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Type:  Republic.
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Independence:  March 12, 1968 (became a republic in 1992).
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Constitution:  March 12, 1968.
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Branches:  Executive--president (chief of state), prime minister (head of
government), Council of Ministers.  Legislative--
unicameral National Assembly.  Judicial--Supreme Court.
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Administrative subdivisions:  10.
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Major political parties:  Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), Mauritian
Militant Movement (MMM), Mauritian Labor Party (MLP), and
Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD).
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Suffrage:  Universal over 18.
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Defense (1991):  1.5% of GDP.
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Flag:  Four horizontal stripes--red, blue, yellow, green.
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Economy
GDP (1991):  $2.4 billion.
Real growth rate (1991):  5%.
Per capita income (1991):  $2,276.
Avg. inflation rate (1991):  7%.
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Natural resources:  None.
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Manufacturing (including export processing zone):  24% of GDP.
Types--labor-intensive goods for export, including textiles and clothing,
pearls, cut and polished diamonds, semi-precious stones, optical goods,
cut flowers, leather products, electronic goods, watches, toys, and other
consumer goods.
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Agriculture:  11% of GDP.  Products--sugar, sugar derivatives, tea,
tobacco, vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
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Tourism sector:  11% of GDP.  Main countries of origin--France
(including the nearby French island Reunion), South Africa, and West
European countries.
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Trade (1991):  Exports--$1.3 billion:  sugar, textiles and clothing, tea,
molasses, jewelry, leather products, canned tuna, and anthuriums.
Major markets--EC and US.
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Imports--$1.6 billion:  foodstuffs, refined petroleum products,
machinery and transport equipment, construction materials,
manufactured goods, and textile raw materials.  Major suppliers--EC,
South Africa, Kuwait, Japan, China, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Australia,
India, Taiwan, New Zealand, Southeast Asian countries, and US.
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Fiscal year:  July 1-June 30.
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Avg. exchange rate (1991): 15 rupees=US$1.
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PEOPLE AND HISTORY
While Arab and Malay sailors knew of Mauritius as early as the 10th
century AD and Portuguese sailors first visited in the 16th century, the
island was not colonized until 1638 by the Dutch.  Mauritius was
populated over the next few centuries by waves of traders, planters and
their slaves, indentured laborers, merchants, and artisans.
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The island was named in honor of Prince Maurice of Nassau by the
Dutch, who abandoned their colony in 1710.  The French claimed
Mauritius in 1715 and renamed it Ile de France.  It became a prosperous
colony under the French East India Company.  The French Government
took control in 1767, and the island served as a naval and privateer base
during the Napoleonic wars.  In 1810, Mauritius was captured by the
British, whose possession of the island was confirmed 4 years later by
the Treaty of Paris.  French institutions, including the Napoleonic code
of law, were maintained; French still is used more widely than English.
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Mauritius' Creoles trace their origins to the plantation owners and slaves
who were brought to work the sugar fields.  Indo-Mauritians are
descended from Indian immigrants who arrived in the 19th century to
work as indentured laborers after slavery was abolished in 1835.
Included in the Indo-Mauritian community are Muslims (about 15% of
the population) from what is now Pakistan.  The Franco-Mauritian elite
controls nearly all of the large sugar estates and is active in business and
banking.  As the Indian population became numerically dominant and
the voting franchise was extended, political power shifted from the
Franco-Mauritians and their Creole allies to the Hindus.
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Elections in 1947 for the newly created Legislative Assembly marked
Mauritius' first steps toward self-rule.  An independence campaign
gained momentum after 1961, when the British agreed to permit
additional self-government and eventual independence.  A coalition
composed of the Mauritian Labor Party (MLP), the Muslim Committee
of Action (CAM), and the Independent Forward Bloc (IFB)--a
traditionalist Hindu party--won a majority in the 1967 Legislative
Assembly election, despite opposition from Franco-Mauritian and
Creole supporters of Gaetan Duval's Mauritian Social Democratic Party
(PMSD).  The contest was interpreted locally as a referendum on
independence.  Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, MLP leader and chief
minister in the colonial government, became the first prime minister at
independence, on March 12, 1968.  This event was preceded by a
period of communal strife, brought under control with assistance from
British troops.
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GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Mauritian politics are turbulent and characterized by coalition and
alliance building.  Alone or in coalitions, the MLP ruled from 1947 until
June 1982.  The Mauritian Militant Movement/Mauritian Socialist Party
(MMM/PSM) alliance won the 1982 election.  In 1983, defectors from
the MMM joined with the PSM to form the Militant Socialist Movement
(MSM) and won a working majority.  In July 1990, the MSM realigned
with the MMM and in September 1991 national elections won 59 of the
62 directly elected seats in
parliament.
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As promised in its electoral program, the MSM/MMM alliance amend-ed
the constitution, making Mauritius a republic within the
Commonwealth.  Since March 12, 1992, the chief of state has been a
Mauritian-born president, replacing Queen Elizabeth II.  Under the
amended constitution, political power still derives from the parliament.
The Council of Ministers (cabinet), responsible for the direction and
control of the government, consists of the prime minister (head of
government), the leader of the majority party in the legislature, and 24
other ministers.
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The unicameral National Assembly has up to 70 deputies.  Sixty-two are
elected by universal suffrage, and as many as eight "best losers" are
chosen from the runners-up by the Electoral Supervisory Commission
by a formula designed to give at least minimal representation to all ethnic
communities and under-represented parties.  Elections are scheduled at
least every 5 years.
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Mauritian law is an amalgam of French and British legal traditions.   The
Supreme Court--a chief justice and five other judges--is the highest
judicial authority.  There is an additional right of appeal to the Queen's
Privy Council.  Local government has nine administrative divisions,
with municipal and town councils in urban areas and district and village
councils in rural areas.
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Principal Government Officials
President--Cassam Uteem
Vice President--Sir Rabindrah Ghurburrun
Prime Minister--Sir Anerood Jugnauth
Ambassador to the United States--Chitmansing Jesseramsing
Ambassador to the United Nations--Satteanand Peerthum
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Mauritius maintains an embassy at 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW,
Washington, DC  20008 (tel. [phone]).
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ECONOMY
The Mauritian economy is based on export-oriented manufacturing,
sugar, and tourism.  Structurally, it has a strong private sector and state-
owned enterprises.  The economy grew at an average rate of 6% over
the last decade, reaching full employment in the late 1980s.  Growth
started to decline in 1988, as the economy started to experience some of
the problems associated with success.  Skilled labor shortages now are
evident in industry, and a small amount of labor is imported.
Degradation of the environment, drug trafficking and abuse, and poor
housing are the country's most pressing socioeconomic problems.
Unemployment--less than 2% in 1991--is not a problem, due to the
rapid expansion of the export processing zone (EPZ) during the last 10
years as well as to the government's success in curbing post-World War
II population growth.
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Manufacturing.  During the second half of the 1980s, manufacturing
emerged as the most important sector in the Mauritian economy,
surpassing the traditional sugar sector in terms of gross foreign
exchange earnings, job creation, and contribution to GDP.  Non-sugar
manufacturing accounted for about 21% of total value added in 1991,
compared to 17% in 1985.  In addition, the share of non-sugar
manufactured exports in the total export earnings rose from under one-
half in 1985 to two-thirds in 1991.
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The performance of the manufacturing sector is largely influenced by the
evolution of the EPZ, which is heavily concentrated in textile products.
In 1991, about 63% of EPZ firms engaged in textile production (mainly
garments and knitwear) and accounted for almost 90% of EPZ
employment and over 75% of total EPZ exports.  Other EPZ products
include leather products, watches, optical goods, cut and polished
gems, toys, canned tuna, and cut flowers.
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Sugar.  Despite the rapid growth of the EPZ sector in the past several
years, sugar still plays a key role in the Mauritian economy.  Sugarcane
occupies about 45% of Mauritius' total land area and 90% of its
cultivated land.  The industry accounts for about 10% of GDP
(including milling), 15% of employment in larger establishments, and
30% of gross foreign exchange earnings.  Sugar is the most important
commodity in net foreign exchange earnings, as it has a lower import
content (about 20%) than that of manufactured exports (about 70%) in
the EPZ sector.  Under the Lome Convention, Mauritian exports have
guaranteed access to the European Economic Community market at a
remunerative price for up to 507,000 metric tons, equivalent to about
75% of local production.
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Tourism.  Tourism is the third most important source of foreign
exchange earnings after the EPZ and sugar.  In recent years, the
industry has witnessed remarkable growth, both in terms of gross
earnings and tourist arrivals.  From 1983 to 1990, the number of
tourists increased from 124,000 to 292,000, and gross earnings
increased from $34 million to $233 million.
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Vulnerabilities and Diversification.  Despite the impressive economic
performance of Mauritius, there remain several underlying structural
weaknesses in the economy due to the country's overdependence on
exports of textile products and sugar and to vulnerability to climatic
conditions and unforeseen fluctuations in export prices.  As Mauritius
enters the second phase of its industrial development,  the government
plans to reduce these vulnerabilities through aggressive industrial and
export market diversification.  Accordingly, the government is now
promoting investment in electronics, light engineering, computer
software, pharmaceuticals, plastics, leather, jewelry, and printing and
publishing operations, while at the same time consolidating the textile
sector.
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The government also has taken measures to develop Mauritius as a
regional financial center.  In 1989, the government set up both the
offshore banking center and the Port Louis Stock Exchange.  Seven
offshore banks operate in Mauritius.  The stock exchange started with
only 5 companies but, over the last 2 years, has expanded its activities
and now has 19 public companies on the "official list."  The government
also launched an Offshore Business Center in 1991 to promote the
establishment of offshore companies in business activities including
fund management, consultancy, and services.
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The success of the next phase of Mauritius' economic development will
depend on the availability of skilled labor at all levels and on the
country's ability to attract investment in more sophisticated and capital-
intensive technologies and higher value-added activities.
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FOREIGN RELATIONS
Strong ties between Mauritius and the West are due to Mauritius'
political heritage and dependence on Western markets.  Mauritius has
sought to establish close links with the European Community and its
member states, particularly the United Kingdom and France, which
exercises sovereignty over neighboring Reunion.
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Considered part of Africa geographically, Mauritius has a solid
relationship with other African states and, in 1976, chaired the meeting
of the Organization of African Unity.  It was chosen as the site for the
Secretariat of the Indian Ocean Commission in February 1988.  The
government has espoused positions often promoted by third world
countries.  India and Mauritius share close relations based on cultural
and ethnic ties.
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Foreign embassies in Mauritius include Australia, the United Kingdom,
China, Egypt, France, India, Madagascar, Pakistan, the Russian
Federation, and the United States.
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DEFENSE
Mauritius does not have a standing army.  All military, police, and
security functions are carried out by the 6,000-member National Police
force.  The 1,200-member Special Mobile Force (SMF) and the 500-
member National Coast Guard are the only two para-military units in
Mauritius.  Both units are composed of police officers on lengthy
rotations to those services.
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The SMF is organized as a ground infantry unit and engages extensively
in civic works projects.  The Coast Guard has three coastal patrol craft
and an airplane for search and rescue missions and surveillance of
territorial waters.  The Special Supporting Unit is a 300-member riot-
control force.
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Military advisers from the United Kingdom and India work with the
SMF, the Coast Guard, and the Police Helicopter Unit, and Mauritian
police officers are trained in the United Kingdom, India, and France.  In
January 1991, the Mauritian Government approved Mauritian
participation in the US International Military Education and Training
Program (IMET), opening the way for Mauritian officers to receive
military training in the United States.
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US-MAURITIAN RELATIONS
Official US representation in Mauritius dates from the end of the 18th
century.  An American consulate was established on the island in 1794
but closed in 1911.  It was reopened in 1967 and elevated to embassy
status upon the country's independence in 1968.  Since 1970, the
mission has been directed by a resident US ambassador.
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Relations between the United States and Mauritius, recently highlighted
by the June 1991 official visit of Prime Minister Jugnauth to
Washington, are good.  US trade with and investment in Mauritius are
relatively small but growing.  Most categories of Mauritian textiles, a
major export, are under US import restraints; Mauritius has a modest
US sugar quota as well.
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In 1991, Mauritius imported US goods valued at $15.3 million.  The
same year, the United States imported $130.9 million in Mauritian
products, mostly knitwear and other textiles and sugar.  In FY 1991, the
US Agency for International Development (USAID) provided $3 million
under the Mauritius Industrial Diversification Project, mainly in the form
of technical assistance.  In addition, USAID provided $165,000 under
the FY 1991 US Self-Help Fund Program and $300,000 for
population/family planning programs, including supply and training in
the use of contraceptives.
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Principal US Officials:
Ambassador--vacant
Deputy Chief of Mission--David B. Dunn
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The US embassy in Mauritius is located in the Rogers House, 4th floor,
J. Kennedy Street, Port Louis (tel. [phone]; FAX 230-208-
9534).
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TRAVEL NOTES;
Customs:  Visas are not required for US citizens, but travelers should
have onward or return tickets.  Immunization certificates are not
required unless the traveler arrives in Mauritius from an infected area.
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Currency, exchange, and banking:  Travelers may bring in any amount
of foreign notes or travelers checks.
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Health:  Mauritius has no major health hazards.  Local clinics and
pharmacies are adequate.  Precautions should be taken before
consuming raw fruits and vegetables or tap water.
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Telecommunications:  Reliable international mail, telephone, FAX, and
telegraph services are available. Mauritius is nine time zones ahead of
eastern standard time.
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Transportation:  Regular flights serve Europe, East and Southern Africa,
India, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia.  Rental cars and taxis are
readily available.  Traffic moves on the left.  Bus service is regular and
inexpensive throughout Mauritius. Most roads, though paved, are
narrow, twisting, and poorly lit at night.
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Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of Public
Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington, DC
November 1992 -- Editor:  Marilyn J. Bremner
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Department of State Publication 8023--Background Notes Series -- This
material is in the public domain and may be reprinted without
permission; citation of this source is appreciated.
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For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC  20402.(###)
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