Mauritius

Mauritius, formerly the Isle of France (1717-1814), Mauritius in English, is the main island of the Republic of Mauritius. It is located in the western Indian Ocean, in the heart of the Mascarene archipelago, between La Réunion in the west, and Rodrigues island in the east. The capital is Port-Louis, located in the northwest of the island.

Mauritius history

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit the island, between 1500 and 1513. They called it Cirné, name of the ship of the expedition captain Diogo Fernandes Pereira. However the island remained uninhabited until the arrival of the first Dutch settlers in 1598. The island was then colonized by the French from 1715 to 1810. Then came the British who occupied it by force before this possession be confirmed to them by the Treaty of Paris (1814). The British establishment lasted until independence on March 12, 1968.

Mauritius education

In 2015, the first campus of African Leadership University was created there with the ambition of training the African intellectual elite of tomorrow.

Mauritius language

Mauritius has no official language, but English is recognized as the country’s first language (administration) and French as the second language (media). Of the latter two, French is by far the most spoken language. It is thus taught from the age of 4 years in public schools. Mauritian Creole is spoken by the majority of the population but is not officially recognized by the constitution. An Asian language or Mauritian Creole can be chosen from the age of 6 by children in primary school. The most widely spoken Asian languages ​​are, in descending order, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Hakka, Telegu and Marathi.