An island nation in the Indian Ocean where there are beautiful golden beaches making it on the top lists of the ideal summer destination in the world. Any tourist will enjoy all the adventures that the sea breeze has to offer, like swimming, surfing, and live coral reefs for snorkeling or diving, water skiing, sailing and a lot of water adventures. There is a favorite tourist spot located in a village around the town known for its seven different color dunes – Seven Colored Earth. Rivers and other natural resources are abundant and accessible for tourists to enjoy. Natural beauty makes Mauritius worth visiting!
Important and Interesting Facts About Mauritius
- Mauritius is the most densely populated country in Africa and the 17th most densely populated country in the world.
- The top money earner for the economy of Mauritius is sugarcane, which is planted on 90% of the country’s arable land.
- Being rich in scenic beauty and fringed by beaches with white sand and turquoise coloured clear ocean waters, Mauritius is a tourist haven. Tourists from all over the world flock here throughout the year to bask in the sun and sand. Tourism is the next revenue earner for this island.
- Located in the Indian Ocean to the east of Madagascar the main volcanic island of Mauritius is surrounded by coral reefs and has 20 other smaller islands under its administration.
- Mauritius comprises of many islands; major ones being the island of Rodrigues, the Agalega islands and the Cargados Carajos Shoals.
- 10 percent of the island’s territory consists of protected areas.
- Mauritius has some of the most spectacular beaches in the world, such as, Flic en Flac, Pereybere, Tamarin, Blue Bay, La Morne, Belle Mare, and Grand Bay.
- The Aapravasi Ghat and Le Morne Cultural Landscape are two of the world heritage sites in Mauritius.
- The leaf shaped island nation is one of the wealthiest and developed countries in the world.
- The seven colored earth is one of the well-known attractions in Mauritius. It consists of seven different colored sand dunes, mainly, red, brown, violet, green, purple, blue, and yellow.
- The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden is a popular tourist attraction in Pamplemousses, near Port Louis, Mauritius, and the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere. The garden, for a long time was ranked third among all the gardens that could be admired over the surface of the globe.
- Pieter Both is the second highest mountain of Mauritius, at 820 metres tall. It is located in the Moka Range. The notable feature of this mountain is the gigantic rock formation at the very top of it, which resembles a human head.
Cool, Fun, and Funny Facts About Mauritius
- The legendary dodo bird was found only in Mauritius before it became extinct. Despite its extinction, the dodo remains Mauritius’ national animal.
- Mark Twain has been quoted as saying, “You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius.”
- Inspired by the Dodo, an endemic species of bird in Mauritius, Lewis Carroll wrote the famous book “Alice in Wonderland” in 1865.
- The life expectancy of Mauritanian citizen is 73 years that is among the highest in the world’s developing nations.
- In 2012, at the World Travel Awards, Mauritius was presented with the World Leading Island Destination award and the World’s Best Beach Destination Award.
- One of the mountains in Port Louis is Le pouce which means “The Thumb” in French, the mountain gets its name from the projection that it seems to resemble. According to the city, Charles Darwin was the first person to have climbed this mountain. So as being one of the largest names in the scientific field, he was also an avid mountaineer.
- Although the country of Mauritius has a name that is very similar to Mauritania, the two have very different etymologies. Mauritius gets its name from the Prince of Orange, Maurice of Nassau.
- The national flower of Mauritius is found only on a single mountain. This endemic and endangered plant is called ‘Boucle d’oreille’, which means ‘earring’ in English. This endemic plant bears reddish-orange flowers from June to October and can grow up to 9 feet tall.
- Mauritian flying fox (a fruit bat) and all the native birds reside there.
- You can never find a desert in Mauritius.
- There is no official language in Mauritius.
Historical and Cultural Facts About Mauritius
- Mauritius is an island created by underwater volcanic eruptions. The first people to set foot on it were the Portuguese.
- While many countries consider it polite to receive gifts with both hands, Mauritians prefer to receive things with the right hand only.
- Island of Mauritius was first discovered by Arabs sailors who named it as Dina Arobi. Cirne and Mascarenhas were the name given by Portuguese navigators, Diogo Fernandes Pereira and Dom Pedro Mascarenhas respectively.
- During the Dutch period, the island was named Mauritius in 1598 to honor Prince Maurits van Nassau.
- The Dutch introduced domestic animals, sugarcane, and deer in Mauritius. It was 1710, when Dutch abandoned Mauritius as the settlements never developed there.
- France that entered the island in 1715 named it Île de France, which means, island of France.
- ‘Sega’ is the folk dance of Mauritius and has its origins in Africa. Recently, Reggae is being used as the background music for the dance form. This has given birth to the fusion music called ‘Seggae’.
- The sun sets relatively early in Mauritius: between 5.30pm in June and 7pm in December. To make the most of the beach, even if it’s too late to catch some rays, Mauritians like to partake in a Sundowner, a tradition which will fill your evenings in Mauritius.
- Mauritian culture is based on the diversity of the population, that’s why there is no “official religion” in Mauritius. Hindus, Tamils, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and others from all over the globe live in harmony and respect the free practice of all religions in Mauritius. The ancestral melting-pot that is Mauritian culture allows different faith communities to cohabit in mutual respect. Mauritius is an island of temples, churches and mosques.
- Every weekend the locals take over the beaches here and you’ll see the fast food and ice cream vans roll up, mainly on Fridays to Sunday, although a couple are there all week. All weekend the Mauritiens set up tents and makeshift campsites, sit around playing music, having fun and also eating and drinking.
