Mauritius flag was officially raised on: the 12.03.1968.
The flag is red-blue-yellow-green horizontally striped.

The colors stand for:
Red: Blood that was shed of the war for freedom.
Blue: For the vast sea surrounding the island.
Yellow: For the sun and the golden light of freedom.
Green: For the fertile land and its vegetation.

Official name: Republic of Mauritius

Government: Parliamentary Democracy

Nationality: Mauritian

Capital city: Port Louis

Motto:  "Stella Clavisque Maris Indici" (Latin)
"Star and Key of the Indian Ocean"

Ethnic groups: Indo-Mauritian (68%), Creole (27%), Sino-Mauritian (3%), Franco-Mauritian (2%)

Location: Mauritius, a volcanic and mountainous island in the Indian Ocean, lies 2000km (1240 miles) off the southeastern coast of Africa, due east of Madagascar.

Continent: Africa

Currency: Mauritian Rupee (MUR); 1 MUR = 1.4924 Indian Rupee = 0.03429 US $ = 0.02840 Euro (subject to change).

Population: 1,159,729 (1998). Now about 1.2 Million

Languages: English is the official language. French, Creole, Hindi and Bhojpuri, Tamil, Mandarin, Urdu and Chinese are also among the languages spoken.

Religion: 51 per cent Hindu, 31 per cent Christian, 17 per cent Muslim.

Area: 2040 sq km (788 sq miles).

Famous for: Giant water lilies, a spice garden and the Talipot Palms

Major cities: Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, Curepipe, Port Louis, Quatre Bornes, Vascoas-Phoenix.

Clothing: Summers: cotton; Winters: woolens

Major events: Teemeedee, takes place throughout the year but mostly in December and January Thaipoosam Cavadee in January or February festival of Pongal, and Chinese New Year, Maha Shivaratri Holi, Independence/Republic Day is 12 March. Père Laval: feast day in September. Eid-al-Fitr: the ninth month of the lunar year.

Things to Buy: Local craft is also particularly rich, ranging from the shells, bracelets, necklaces, and pagnes, Gold jewelry and gems spices, clothes.

Things to do: Sightseeing, enjoying the beaches, shopping.

Cuisine: Creole rougailles, Indian curries, Muslim bryanis, Chinese sweet-and-sour pork, French delicate dishes, English bacon and eggs. In short it has variety of cuisines from Indian to Chinese & continental.

MAURITIUS INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS :

mobile phone networks:

Cellplus Mobile Comms (GSM 900)
Emtel Ltd (GSM 900)
Emergency Services

Police, Ambulance: Dial 999.
Police: Dial 208-7013/20
Fire: Dial 995.
SAMU: Dial 114.

Buisness hours:

In Mauritius business hours are generally fixed from 09H00 to 16H00 each Monday to Friday and a half-day on Saturdays. On the Central Plateau, shops are open all day on Saturdays and half-day on Thursdays. Because it is a free port, Mauritius has a number of commercial, development and offshore banks in addition to the central banks.

Telephone code: +230 (no area codes)
The Public telephone booths can be found at the airport and in hotels. Fax facilities, E-communication are also available at most hotels.

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