Travel

Interesting facts about Mauritius, Africa’s most developed country

Published

1 year ago

2023/02/14

Over the years, the United Nation’s Human Development Index (HDI) has become the most universally used tool for measuring countries’ developing status.

According to the United Nations Development Programme, “the HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone.”

In 2022, the island country of Mauritius was listed as Africa’s most developed country with an HDI of . 802, which clears the “very high human development” threshold.

Here are some interesting facts about this country;

Mauritius boasts a life expectancy of 75 years and a literacy rate of 91.3%, and is known for its advanced economy and free heath care and schooling.
The islands in The Republic of Mauritius were formed a relatively young 9 million years ago, from the lava spewed out by underwater volcanoes.
English is the official language while citizens also speak French and Creole.
When first discovered by Arab Sailors back in 975, the island was called Dina Arobi. It was christened as Mauritius several centuries later when the Dutch Squadron landing at Grand Port in 1598 named it Mauritius in honour of Prince Maurice Van Nassau, stadtholder of the Dutch Republic.
Three nations have over the years colonised Mauritius – the Netherlands (1638-1710), France (1715-1810) and Great Britain (1810-1968). It has remained independent since 1968.
Mauritius is the only African nation with Hinduism as the dominant religion.
Mauritius’ most popular native music and dance style is the Sega music which traces back its origin to the slave population. The songs are sung in Creole, and while dancing, the dancers never let their feet lose contact with the ground.
Public Transport in Mauritius is free for students, people with disabilities and senior citizens.
Mauritius was one of the only four countries in the world in 2017 which were not engaged in any domestic or international conflicts with other countries including neighbouring countries.
One of the world’s rarest birds, the Pink Pigeon is found in the lush green forests of Mauritius.