Geography

Mauritius is a volcanic island, measuring 58 km from north to south and 47 km from east to west with a total land area of 2,048 km2 and is located approximately 800 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The island has a population of over 1.2 million and a population density of about 600 people per square kilometre, one of the highest in the world.

The island, which unlike Réunion has no active volcanoes, rises steeply in the south to a central plateau and slopes gently down to the northern coast. The highest point is Mont Piton at 828 m. For snorkellers and divers, Mauritius is surrounded by a coral reef and lined with long stretches of white sandy beaches.

In addition to the island of Mauritius itself, the country includes the Agalega Islands (21 km2) Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon 3 km2), and Rodrigues (109 km2). These islands represent the country of the Republic of Mauritius.

Mauritius and Rodrigues are two of the Mascarene Islands, a volcanic archipelago which includes one other island, La Réunion, 164 km south-west of Mauritius.

Light rains fall all year round and the highest average daytime temperatures occur from January to April and top out around 35°C. From July to September the temperatures average 24°C during the day and 16°C at night. Humidity is generally highest between October and June.

English and French are official languages and Creole Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri are all spoken.

For more information please refer to: CIA Factbook.