
Mauritius
Legal breakdown by identity
Learn about Mauritius
Beyond the scoreLearn about Mauritius.Official names, languages, local time and practical context for understanding Mauritius beyond its legal score.
Destination overview
About Mauritius.
Where Every Horizon Melts into Blue
Mauritius floats in the Indian Ocean like a jewel dropped from the sky, ringed by coral reefs and wrapped in sugarcane fields that sway to a rhythm all their own. Volcanic peaks punctuate the interior, their slopes cloaked in dense tropical forest where rare birds flit between ancient trees. The coastline unspools in a procession of white sand, turquoise lagoons, and fishing villages where painted pirogues bob in the shallows. From the bustling waterfront of Port Louis to the misty heights of Black River Gorges, the island packs a staggering amount of beauty into its compact frame.
Read more about Mauritius
A Crossroads of Cultures and Kitchens
Few places on earth blend as many culinary traditions into a single table. Street vendors in the capital dish up dholl puri alongside mine frites and gateaux piments, each bite telling the story of a different shore. Hindu temples, mosques, and churches stand within walking distance of one another, and festivals from Diwali to Cavadee paint the calendar in brilliant colour. The island's famously multilingual population slips effortlessly between Creole, French, English, and a handful of Asian languages, sometimes within the same sentence.
Wild Corners and Underwater Worlds
Beyond the resorts, Mauritius rewards the curious. Le Morne Brabant, a brooding basalt monolith on the southwestern tip, is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers hiking trails with views that stretch to the edge of the world. Inland, the Seven Coloured Earths of Chamarel shimmer in bands of red, brown, and violet, a geological oddity that defies easy explanation. Below the waterline, the marine parks of Blue Bay and Ile aux Cerfs teem with parrotfish, moray eels, and coral gardens that rival any in the tropics.
Warm Days, Warmer People
The island enjoys a tropical maritime climate, with warm summers from November through April and mild, dry winters from May to October. Cyclone season can bring drama, but most days unfold under wide blue skies. Mauritians are celebrated for their hospitality, a warmth rooted in the island's tradition of welcoming newcomers from every continent. Whether you arrive chasing waves, wildlife, or simply a slower pace of life, you will likely find that Mauritius has a way of making you feel as though you belong.
Official names
- Republic of Mauritius (English)
- République de Maurice (French)
Region
- Western Indian Ocean
Continent
- Africa
Total population
1,235,260
2022 data
Capital
- Port Louis
Currency
- Mauritian Rupee (MUR · ₨)
Driving side
- left side of the road
Electricity
Languages
Arabic
Official in practice · ISO 639-3: ara
Bhojpuri
Official in practice · ISO 639-3: bho
Cantonese
Official in practice · ISO 639-3: yue
English
Official in practice · ISO 639-3: eng
French
Official in practice · ISO 639-3: fra
Show 8 more languages
Hakka Chinese
Official in practice · ISO 639-3: hak
Hindi
Official in practice · ISO 639-3: hin
Marathi
Official in practice · ISO 639-3: mar
Mauritian Creole
Official in practice · Indigenous · ISO 639-3: mfe
Tamil
Official in practice · ISO 639-3: tam
Telugu
Official in practice · ISO 639-3: tel
Urdu
Official in practice · ISO 639-3: urd
Mauritian Sign Language
Indigenous · ISO 639-3: lsy
Current time and time zone
Mauritius Standard TimeMUT
Indian/Mauritius
Largest cities
- Port Louis · 147,688
2011 data
- Vacoas Phoenix · 106,907
2011 data
- Beau Bassin Rose Hill · 103,872
2011 data
- Curepipe · 84,200
2011 data
- Quatre Bornes · 75,884
2011 data
Busiest airport
- Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International AirportMRU · 4,000,000 annual passenger movements
2024 data