Mauritius
Port Louis · East Africa
Mauritius is a country in Africa. Its capital city is Port Louis, the official currency is the Mauritian Rupee, and the main language is English.
With a population of roughly 1.3 million people spread over 2,040 km², Mauritius is the 153rd most populous country in the world and the 169th largest by area. That works out at about 637 people per square kilometre.
Mauritius has no land borders with any other country. Its largest urban centres are Port Louis, Vacoas-Phoenix and Beau Bassin-Rose Hill. The highest point in the country is Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire, at 828 metres.
For scale, it covers almost exactly the same area as Comoros, while its population is closest to that of Cyprus.
- Capital
- Port Louis
- Region
- East Africa
- Population
- 1,300,000
- Area
- 2,040 km²
- Currency
- Mauritian Rupee
- Main language
- English
- Highest point
- Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire
828 m - Land borders
- 0
Mauritius: things worth knowing
- The dodo was endemic to Mauritius and was driven extinct within a century of European arrival.
- The island was uninhabited before Dutch settlement in the 17th century.
- It has one of Africa's highest per-capita incomes, built on tourism, textiles and financial services.
Mauritius in context
Africa has 54 sovereign countries in total. Mauritius ranks 48th among them by population.
See the full list of Africa countries, or browse all 195 countries.