Line #5 UsefulNotes/Mauritius


1	[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mapa_Mauricio_2002_4588.gif]]
2	[[caption-width-right:330: Heaven on Earth]]
3
4	->''"Mauritius was made first and then heaven; and heaven was copied after Mauritius."''
5	-->-- '''Creator/MarkTwain'''
6
7	Mauritius ('''French:''' ''Maurice''; '''Mauritian Creole:''' ''Moris'') is a tiny East UsefulNotes/{{Africa}}n island nation off the east coast of UsefulNotes/{{Madagascar}}. Famous for its unspoiled beaches combined with the tropical weather and natural inland beauty, hence Mark Twain's quote above. It is also considered to have one of the best economies in Africa; international metrics often label it the richest country in Africa, and it's one of the rare countries in the continent with a per capita income classified as "upper-middle".[[note]]Neighboring UsefulNotes/{{Seychelles}} has the highest GDP per capita in Africa overall, and barely qualifies as a country with a high-income economy (as opposed to upper-middle), making it on par with Eastern European countries like UsefulNotes/{{Poland}} and UsefulNotes/{{Romania}}. It should be noted, however, that Seychelles is much less populous than Mauritius.[[/note]] Because of its recent human colonization, the country is incredibly cosmopolitan with Indians, Africans, Europeans, and Chinese making up shares of the population. It has no permanent army and thanks to British and French legacy, it has both English and French as official languages.
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9	The island was practically uninhabited until the Dutch came in the 17th century, but harsh conditions forced them to abandon the island. The French arrived some years after that and took control of it (they already controlled the rest of the neighbourhood anyway) and kept it until UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, when the British took it. The country achieved its independence in 1968, when it became one of the Realms of UsefulNotes/TheCommonwealthOfNations. It stayed this way until 1992, when it became a republic within the Commonwealth.
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11	The Dutch, even though they didn’t stay for long, left two indelible marks on the country. The first of them was the sugar cane, which continues to be the country’s main export. The second was the complete annihilation of one of its natural residents, a bird all people know very well from the media, even though nobody has seen one – [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodo the dodo.]] This bird, endemic to Mauritius, was big, heavy, incapable of flying, and didn’t appear to be too smart, so the Dutch named it "dodo", referring to its simpleton attitude. Given its natural dopey-ness, they didn’t take too long to hunt it to complete extinction. That didn’t stop the bird from [[VindicatedByHistory reaching memetic status]], of course, and since then it has appeared everywhere, including ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' and the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'', among others; it even appears in the coat of arms of the country. A huge achievement for a bird that seems dumber than a turkey.[[note]]Recent studies suggest that the dodo actually disappeared because of the destruction of its habitat and vermin brought by humans (rats, cats, pigs, and so on) rather than from hunting. Contemporary accounts ''all'' mention how awful and inedible the dodo's flesh tasted.[[/note]]
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13	Often considered a twin to the nearby island of [[UsefulNotes/ReunionIsland Réunion]], as they share similar geography, history, population, and economy that is centered on tourism. Unlike Mauritius, Réunion was retained by France after the Napoleonic Wars, and remains a [[UsefulNotes/DepartementalIssues Département of France]] to this day.
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15	----
16	[[AC:The Mauritian flag]]
17	https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mauritius_flag_8675.png
18	->The flag's red, blue, yellow and green stripes symbolize the blood of freedom fighters, the Indian Ocean, the light of independence, and the island's lush vegetation, respectively.
19	----
20	[[AC:The Mauritian national anthem]]
21
22	->Glory to thee, Motherland
23	->O Motherland of mine.
24	->Sweet is thy beauty,
25	->Sweet is thy fragrance,
26	->Around thee we gather
27	->As one people,
28	->As one nation,
29	->In peace, justice and liberty.
30	->Beloved Country,
31	->May God bless thee
32	->For ever and ever.
33
34	--
35
36	->Gloire à toi, mère patrie
37	->Ô mère patrie.
38	->Douce est ta beauté,
39	->Doux est ton parfum,
40	->Autour de toi nous nous rassemblons
41	->Comme un seul peuple,
42	->En tant que nation,
43	->Dans la paix, la justice et la liberté.
44	->Pays bien-aimé,
45	->Que Dieu te bénisse
46	->Pour toujours et à jamais.
47	----
48	[[AC:Government]]
49	* Unitary parliamentary republic
50	** President: Prithvirajsing Roopun
51	** Vice President: Eddy Boissezon
52	** Prime Minister: Pravind Jugnauth
53	** Speaker of the National Assembly: Sooroojdev Phokeer
54	----
55	[[AC:Miscellaneous]]
56	* '''Capital and largest city:''' Port Louis
57	* '''Population:''' 1,265,475
58	* '''Area:''' 2,040 km² (790 sq mi) (170th)
59	* '''Currency''': Mauritian rupee (₨) (MUR)
60	* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' MU
61	* '''Country calling code:''' 230
62	* '''Highest point:''' Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire (828 m/2,717 ft) (170th)

Context UsefulNotes / Mauritius