Situated 2400 Km off the South East coast of Africa, Mauritius is an independent nation & a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. The island is of volcanic origin and covers an area of approximately 1865 Sq. Km or 720 Sq. Miles. Apart from the South, most of the coast is surrounded by coral reefs. The land slopes gradually from the coast to a fertile plateau which is bordered by three mountain ranges, giving rise to a landscape of striking beauty. The climate is a maritime sub-tropical one : Summer lasts from October to April while Winter from May to September. Temperatures vary between the plateau & the coast; the highest temperature occurs in January-February with midday temperature of around 25 degrees Celcius on the plateau & 31 degrees on the coast. July & August are the coldest months with midday & night temperatures of around 19 & 13 degrees on the plateau and 25 & 19 degrees on the coast.

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The Republic of Mauritius has a presidential democracy, with the President as the Head of the State & Commander-in-Chief. However, full executive powers rests in the hands of the Prime Minister who is also the Head of the Government. The sixty-two members of the Parliament are elected every five years by popular vote and all major parties are represented, reflecting the democracy prevailing in Mauritius.

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One Mauritian Rupee is equal to 100 cents. Currency notes are in denominations of 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000 & 2,000 Rupees. Coins are in denominations of 5, 20 and 50 cents. Coins of Re1.00 and Rs5.00 are also circulated.

Travellers cheques can be exchanged for Mauritian Rupees at commercial banks and at authorised money changers. Major international credit cards, including American Express, Visa and Mastercard are accepted at most hotels, shopping centres and restaurants.

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Both international & local banks operate in Mauritius. Banking Hours are between 9.30 am to 3.00 pm on weekdays. Banks close on Week-ends & Public Holidays.

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Government offices operate from Mondays to Fridays from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm, while the private offices usually start the day at between 8.00 to 9.00 am and work till 5.30 pm on weekdays. Most private offices work till 1.00 pm on Saturdays.
Lunch break is usually between 12.00 to 1.00 pm.

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Mauritius has an advanced telecommunications network : telephone (including IDD - International Direct Dialling), telex, fax and internet are easily accessible at reasonable rates.
To make an international call, one must first dial 00 followed by the country code, area code & telephone number.
Dial 150 for local Directory Assistance, 10092 for International Enquiries, 10091 for Operator Assistance Service and 10090 for International Directory Assistance.

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English & French are spoken and understood by most Mauritians while the common dialect is the Mauritian Creole, which is derived mainly from French with some borrowed words from English & Hindi. The country's official language is English.

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Full country name: Republic of Mauritius
Area: 1860 sq km (720 sq mi)
Population: 1.1 million
Capital city: Port Louis (pop 150,000)
People: Indo-Mauritian (68%), Créole (27%), Sino-Mauritian (3%), Franco-Mauritian (2%)
Language: English, Créole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori
Religion: Hindu (51%), Christian (30%), Muslim (17%)
Government: Parliamentary democracy
President: Sir Aneerood Jugnauth
Prime Minister: Paul R. Bérenger

Final Court of Appeal: The Privy Council in London

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GDP: US$11.7 billion
GDP per head: US$10,300
Annual growth: 5% (Yr 2000 figures)
Inflation: 5.3% (Yr 2000 figures)
Major industries: Sugar, textiles, tourism, tea, tobacco
Major trading partners: EU, Japan, South Africa, US

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