:Mauritania Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National
Police, Presidential Guard
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 436,897; 213,307 fit for military service; conscription law not
implemented
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $40 million, 4.2% of GDP (1989)
:Mauritius Geography
Total area:
1,860 km2
Land area:
1,850 km2; includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint
Brandon), and Rodrigues
Comparative area:
slightly less than 10.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
177 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
claims UK-administered Chagos Archipelago, which includes the island of
Diego Garcia in UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory; claims
French-administered Tromelin Island
Climate:
tropical modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to
November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Terrain:
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central
plateau
Natural resources:
arable land, fish
Land use:
arable land 54%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and
woodland 31%; other 7%; includes irrigated 9%
Environment:
subject to cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by
reefs
Note:
located 900 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean
:Mauritius People
Population:
1,092,130 (July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992)
Birth rate:
19 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
22 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
66 years male, 73 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.1 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Mauritian(s); adjective - Mauritian
Ethnic divisions:
Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
Religions:
Hindu 52%, Christian (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%) 28.3%, Muslim
16.6%, other 3.1%
Languages:
English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori
Literacy:
82.8 % (male 88.7%, female 77.1%) age 13 and over can read and write (1985
UNESCO estimate)
Labor force:
335,000; government services 29%, agriculture and fishing 27%, manufacturing
22%, other 22%; 43% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor:
35% of labor force in more than 270 unions
:Mauritius Government
Long-form name:
none
Type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Port Louis
Administrative divisions:
9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados
Carajos*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port
Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne
Independence:
12 March 1968 (from UK)
Constitution:
12 March 1968
Legal system:
based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in
certain areas
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
Executive branch:
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General
Sir Veerasamy RINGADOO (since 17 January 1986)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 12 June 1982); Deputy Prime
Minister Prem NABABSING (since 26 September 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
government coalition:
Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), A. JUGNAUTH; Mauritian Militant Movement
(MMM), Paul BERENGER; Organization of the People of Rodrigues (OPR), Louis
Serge CLAIR; Democratic Labor Movement (MTD), Anil BAICHOO
opposition:
Mauritian Labor Party (MLP), Navin RAMGOOLMAN; Socialist Workers Front,
Sylvio MICHEL; Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD), G. DUVAL
Elections:
Legislative Assembly:
last held on 15 September 1991 (next to be held by 15 September 1996);
results - MSM/MMM 53%, MLP/PMSD 38%; seats - (70 total, 62 elected) MSM/MMM
alliance 59 (MSM 29, MMM 26, OPR 2, MTD 2); MLP/PMSD 3
Communists:
may be 2,000 sympathizers
Other political or pressure groups:
various labor unions
Member of:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Chitmansing JESSERAMSING; Chancery at Suite 134, 4301 Connecticut
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-1491 or 1492
:Mauritius Government
US:
Ambassador Penne Percy KORTH; Embassy at 4th Floor, Rogers House, John
Kennedy Street, Port Louis; telephone [230] 208-9763 through 208-9767; FAX
[230] 208-9534
Flag:
four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green