According to softwareleverage.org, Mauritius is a small state located in Southeastern Africa. Its warm tropical climate and the coral barrier that surrounds it, make this island an ideal place and difficult to forget, it is a garden full of contrasts, largely covered by the green of its sugar plantations.
It is an island of volcanic origin, located 800 km from Madagascar, 58 km from north to south and 47 km from east to west, densely populated (600 people per square km). As a state, it includes Rodríguez Island just 560 km to the northeast.
Its capital is Port-Luis, it is located in the extreme northwest of the island and has 170,000 residents. Some places to visit are Fort Adelaide, a walk through the port, the Chinese pagoda in front of the hippodrome, the Juma Mosque, the Saint James Cathedral and of course the market.
Origin
What is known today as Mauritius Island previously had many other names, depending on the nationality of those who occupied it. Thus, in the 15th century, the Arabs landed on the island, calling it Dina Robin, changing its name shortly after, when, in 1510, the Portuguese arrived on the island and renamed it Ilna de Cirne. But the Dutch would be the first to settle from 1598 and try to colonize their lands, which they called Mauritius Island, in honor of the Prince of Orange, Mauricio de Nassau. This colony soon disappeared, expelled in 1710 by the spread of the yellow plague. But it was not uninhabited for a long time and, five years later, France sent its first agents from the French East India Company, initiating its exploitation by importing slaves, renaming it “Ile de France”. Finally, in 1810, the English took it from him during the fighting in the Napoleonic wars, calling it again with the name given by the Dutch, Mauritius.
In the late 1950s an electoral system based on the Westminster model was introduced and as a result of the elections held, Dr Seewoosagur Ramgoolam of the Labor Party was the main representative in the self-government. In 1968 theyachieved independence, but accepting that the British kept control of some small islands, such as Diego Garcia with his important naval base, currently leased to the United States.
Since their independence, three political figures have captured national and international attention: Ramgoolam, Paul Berenguer and Aneerood Jugnauth, the latter, both belonging to the Mouvement Mauricien Militante (MMM) that emerged as the main Ramgoolam opposition, bearers of not very leftist ideas. Far away have often staged serious confrontations.
Until 1982, administrations were dominated by Ramgoolam of the Mauritius Labor Party (MLP) and the Mauritius Social Democratic Party (PMSD) led by Ga’tan Duval. The disillusionment of the electorate with the politics of these parties facilitated the coming to power of the MMM in alliance with the Socialist Party of Mauritius, in the 1982 elections.
Political and personal clashes between the heads of both parties characterized the entire mandate of the coalition, which ended the coalition giving rise to new coalitions in the following elections, in 1987. Of these, it would be the coalition formed by the MSM, the PSDM and the Labor Party that would win, although with a very slim margin with the votes obtained by the MMM.
The coalition was dissolved in 1990 and the Jugnauth MSM, allied with the main opposition party, the MMM, took over the government in the 1992 elections. Despite pursuing a policy in accordance with the electoral program voted on and obtaining excellent results That had repercussions both internally, in the improvement of the population’s living conditions, and externally, greatly improving its trade balance and significantly reducing the external debt, the governing coalition broke up and a new coalition between the MMM and the MLP, would win the 1995 elections.
If domestic politics has been characterized by this constant game of coalitions that, at least, has given stability, in its foreign policy it has highlighted its commercial alliances with the South African racist regime and its claim to sovereignty over Diego Garcia, currently at the expense of the completion, in 2016, of the lease of the military base by the United States.
Geography
Strolling downtown, in the middle of the paths that run through the tea plantations, one thinks that one is lost somewhere in India. When approaching the towns of Curepipe and Vacoas, one might think that they are facing the pristine meadows of the periphery of any English city. A little further on, towards the west coast, African landscapes unfold. Furthermore, the lagoons and beaches of Mauritius are among the most beautiful in the world, and the island has developed a magnificent coral garden of about 300 square km ideal for diving. The northwest coast is bounded by Port-Louis to the south and Perebère to the north. It is the hottest, as it is sheltered from the southwestern trade winds, especially in winter. There is Grand-Baie, the Mauritian “Saint-Tropez”,
