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Key Demographic Features of Mauritius*

Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Map references: World

People

Population: 1,140,256 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27% (male 157,174; female 152,980)
15-64 years: 67% (male 379,840; female 383,295)
65 years and over: 6% (male 27,429; female 39,538) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.23% (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.53 years
male: 66.72 years
female: 74.33 years (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
Religions: Hindu 52%, Christian 28.3% (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%), Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%
Languages: English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 82.9%
male: 87.1%
female: 78.8%

Government

Country Abbreviation: MP
Type of government: parliamentary democracy
Independence: 12 March 1968 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
Constitution: 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992
Legal system: based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Organization of the People of Rodrigues (OPR), Louis Serge CLAIR; Rodrigues Movement, Nicolas VONMALLY; Gaetan Duval Party, Gaetan DUVAL; Hizbullah, Imam Mustapha BEEHARRY; Militant Socialist Movement (MSM); Mauritian Militant Resurgence (MMR)
Other political or pressure groups: various labor unions
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Anund Priyay NEEWOOR
chancery: Suite 441, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Leslie M. ALEXANDER
embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [230] 208-2347, 208-2354, 208-9763 through 9767
FAX: [230] 208-9534
Flag: four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green

Economy

Economic overview:
GDP: purchasing power parity - $10.9 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 2.7% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $9,600 (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2.4% (1991 est.)

Communications

Telephones: 65,000 (1985 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 395,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (1987 est.)
Televisions: 151,096 (1991 est.)

*Source: World Factbook 1996, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

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