Compare Mauritius (2005) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2004)

Compare Mauritius (2005) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2004)

	Mauritius (2005)	British Indian Ocean Territory (2004)

Administrative divisions	9 districts and 3 dependencies; Agalega Islands, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues, Savanne	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 24.4% (male 151,043/female 148,847) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 424,472/female 425,974) 65 years and over: 6.5% (male 31,506/female 48,760) (2005 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish	-
Airports	6 (2004 est.)	1 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)	-
Area	total: 2,040 sq km land: 2,030 sq km water: 10 sq km note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues	total: 60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
Area - comparative	almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Birth rate	15.62 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $1.231 billion expenditures: $1.582 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)	-
Capital	Port Louis	-
Climate	tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline	177 km	698 km
Constitution	12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992	-
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius conventional short form: Mauritius	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT
Death rate	6.83 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Debt - external	$1.78 billion (2004 est.)	-
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador John PRICE embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450 telephone: [230] 202-4400 FAX: [230] 208-9534	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship but no right to patriation in the UK; claims French-administered Tromelin Island	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for an immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricted access to the largest island in the chain
Economic aid - recipient	$42 million (1997)	-
Economy - overview	Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on expanding local financial institutions and building a domestic information telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.
Electricity - consumption	1.707 billion kWh (2002)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - production	1.836 billion kWh (2002)	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Piton 828 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Environment - current issues	water pollution, degradation of coral reefs	NA
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	-
Ethnic groups	Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%	-
Exchange rates	Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003), 29.962 (2002), 29.129 (2001), 26.25 (2000)	-
Executive branch	chief of state: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7 October 2003) and Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Paul BERENGER (since 30 September 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 25 February 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly election results: Karl OFFMANN elected president and Raouf BUNDHUN elected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA%; note - Karl OFFMANN stepped down on 30 September 2003	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004); Administrator Charles A. HAMILTON (since 2002); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports	NA	-
Exports - commodities	clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses	-
Exports - partners	UK 33.1%, France 20.4%, US 14.8%, Madagascar 5.1%, Italy 4.1% (2004)	-
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June	-
Flag description	four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 7.6% industry: 30% services: 62.4% (2004 est.)	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $12,800 (2004 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	4.7% (2004 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	20 17 S, 57 33 E	6 00 S, 71 30 E
Geography - note	the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs	archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
Highways	total: 2,000 km paved: 1,960 km (including 60 km of expressways) unpaved: 40 km (2002)	total: NA km paved: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA	-
Illicit drugs	minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering, but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appears generally to be committed to regulating its banking industry	-
Imports	NA	-
Imports - commodities	manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals	-
Imports - partners	South Africa 11.3%, China 9.4%, India 9.3%, France 9.2%, Bahrain 5.3%, Japan 4.1% (2004)	-
Independence	12 March 1968 (from UK)	-
Industrial production growth rate	8% (2000 est.)	-
Industries	food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery; tourism	-
Infant mortality rate	total: 15.03 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	4.5% (2004 est.)	-
International organization participation	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO	-
Irrigated land	200 sq km (2000 est.)	0 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court	-
Labor force	560,000 (2004 est.)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture and fishing 14%, construction and industry 36%, transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, finance 3%, other services 24% (1995)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 49.26% permanent crops: 2.96% other: 47.78% (2001)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)
Languages	Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4% (official), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)	-
Legal system	based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Legislative branch	unicameral National Assembly (66 seats; 62 elected by popular vote, 4 appointed by the election commission from the losing political parties to give representation to various ethnic minorities; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next to be held September 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - MSM/MMM 52.3%, MLP/PMSD 36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party - MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6, OPR 2	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 72.38 years male: 68.4 years female: 76.41 years (2005 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.6% male: 88.6% female: 82.7% (2003 est.)	-
Location	Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Map references	Political Map of the World	Political Map of the World
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 22,946 GRT/27,102 DWT by type: bulk carrier 4, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 6 (India 4, Switzerland 2) (2005)	-
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
Military branches	National Police Force (includes the paramilitary Special Mobile Force or SMF and National Coast Guard)	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$12.5 million (2004)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	0.2% (2004)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 12 March (1968)	-
Nationality	noun: Mauritian(s) adjective: Mauritian	-
Natural hazards	cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards	NA
Natural resources	arable land, fish	coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Net migration rate	-0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Political parties and leaders	Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] - in coalition with MSM; Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH] - governing party; Rodrigues Movement or MR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR [Serge CLAIR]	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	various labor unions	-
Population	1,230,602 (July 2005 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s, in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	10% (2001 est.)	-
Population growth rate	0.84% (2005 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	Port Louis	Diego Garcia
Radio broadcast stations	AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2002)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)	-
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	-
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: small system with good service domestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk system international: country code - 230; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use	348,200 (2003)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	462,400 (2003)	-
Television broadcast stations	2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)	1 (1997)
Terrain	small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)
Total fertility rate	1.96 children born/woman (2005 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	10.8% (2004 est.)	-

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