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| Capital | Port Aṃśula | |||||||
| Largest City | Port Aṃśula | |||||||
| Language | English, French, Hindi | |||||||
| Legislature | State Council | |||||||
| Head | Aadrika Céline | |||||||
| Area | 2040 km2 | |||||||
| Population | 1,265,475 | |||||||
Mauritius, officially the Island State of Mauritius, is a Special Administrative State of India in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It is the only overseas territory of India and includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as and Rodrigues, Agaléga and St. Brandon. The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, along with nearby Amogha (formerly Réunion, a French overseas department), are part of the Mascarene Islands. The capital and largest city, Port Aṃśula (formerly Port Louis), is located on Mauritius, where most of the population is concentrated. The state is located near Seychelles and the Comoros.
With a surface area of 2,040 square kilometers and a population of 1.2 million inhabitants, Mauritius is India's second-smallest and least populous state. It is also the only Indian territory located in Africa. It is also the only state to have French as an official language.
The earliest confirmed discovery was in 1507 by Portuguese sailors, who otherwise took little interest in the islands. The Dutch took possession in 1598, establishing a succession of short-lived settlements over a period of about 120 years, before abandoning their efforts in 1710. France took control in 1715, renaming it Isle de France. In 1810, the island was seized by Great Britain, and four years later France ceded Mauritius and its dependencies to Britain. As a British colony, Mauritius included Rodrigues, Agalega, St. Brandon, Tromelin, the Chagos Archipelago, and, until 1906, the Seychelles. Sovereignty over Tromelin is disputed between Mauritius and France, as it was not specifically mentioned in the Treaty of Paris. Mauritius remained a primarily plantation-based colony of the United Kingdom until independence in 1968.
Mauritius' people are ethnically, culturally, linguistically, and religiously diverse due to its geographic location and centuries of colonialism. It is Africa's only country where Hinduism is the most widely practised religion. The majority of the population is Indo-Mauritians, with significant Creole, Sino-Mauritian, and Franco-Mauritian minorities.
The official animal of Mauritius is the dodo, a flightless bird that was first spotted in the 16th century and is now an endangered species.
Joining India[]
After the formation of the Confederation of India, Prithvirajsing Roopun requested to join India. A referendum was held, in which 78% wished to merge with India. On 16th March 2023, the Mauritius Merger Act was passed, formally making Mauritius a state of India, and also saved it from an Economic Crisis.
However, it is very controversial on how fast this was all done, leading many people to suspect that India somehow annexed Mauritius, or the referendum was rigged. The Confederation and Prithvirajsing Roopun denies all of this.
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