Land area

2,040 sq km (1,865 sq km excl the islands of Rodrigues, Agalega and St Brandon)

Population

1.28m (official estimate; mid-2010; 1.24m island of Mauritius only)

Main towns

Population in '000 (2010 estimates)

Port Louis (capital): 156.7

Beau Bassin-Rose Hill: 110.9

Vacoas-Phoenix: 106.9

Curepipe: 84.3

Quatre Bornes: 81.1

Climate

Subtropical

Weather in Port Louis (altitude 55 metres)

Hottest month, January, 23-30°C; coldest months, July-August, 17-24°C; driest month, September, 36 mm average rainfall; wettest month, March, 221 mm average rainfall

Languages

French, English, Creole, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Hindi, Urdu

Religion

Hindu (52%), Muslim (17%), Christian (30%)

Measures

Metric system for most weights and measures; land area is often measured in arpents (1 arpent=0.4221 ha=1.043 acres)

Currency

Mauritius rupee (MRs)=100 cents

Fiscal year

Until end-June 2009 the fiscal year was July 1st-June 30th; a six-month fiscal year was followed to end-December 2009; since January 2010 the fiscal year has been coterminous with the calendar year

Time

Four hours ahead of GMT

Public holidays

Fixed: January 1st-2nd (New Year); February 1st (Abolition of Slavery); March 12th (Independence/Republic Day); May 1st (Labour Day); August 15th (Assumption); November 1st (All Saints' Day); November 2nd (Arrival of Indentured Labourers); December 25th (Christmas)

Movable: Thaipoosam Cavadee (January-February); Maha Shivratree (February-March); Chinese Spring Festival (February-March); Ougadi (March-April); Id el-Fitr (September-October); Ganesh Chaturthi (September); Divali (October-November)