Mauritius National Parks
If you have come part way around the world to visit Africa, you'll want to think about visiting Mauritius which lies east of the coast of Southern Africa .
Mauritius is a favorite destination for jet-setters, celebrities and royalty from around the world, many of whom rate this as one of the best getaways on earth. The combination of a cosmopolitan atmosphere, virgin-white beaches, crystal-clear waters, exquisite Creole, Indian, Chinese and European cuisine, chic hotels and service to match is difficult to beat.
This mountainous island paradise lies in the middle of the Indian Ocean in the tropics about 1200 miles (1935 km) east of Durban (South Africa), 1100 miles (1775 km) southeast of Mombasa (Kenya), 2900 miles (4675 km) southwest of Bombay (India) and 3700 miles (5970 km) west of Perth (Australia). Incorporating a visit to this remote island with a tour on the African mainland or an around-the-world vacation should be considered.
The most appropriate and frequently heard phrase on this island is "No Problem in Paradise ." Unlike many "paradises", most of the people here have maintained their genuine and refreshing friendliness in the face of tourism.
This 720-square-mile (1865 km 2 ) island has a central plateau with the south being more mountainous than the north.
Much of the lush vegetation has been converted into fields of sugar cane and other crops.
The population of just over one million consists of Indians Creoles, French and Chinese. Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Chinese festivals occur with uncanny frequency. English is the official language and French is widely spoken, while most of the people prefer to speak Creole.
The island is known for the awkward dodo bird which, it is believed, lost its ability to fly because there were no predators from which it needed to escape. This evolutionary trait ironically contributed to its demise; the dodo was easily hunted to extinction during Dutch rule in the 1800s.
Creole cooking, emphasizing the use of curries, fresh seafood and tropical fruits, is often served. Mauritian beer and rum are popular.
Mauritius has a tropical oceanic climate. The best time to visit this island paradise for a beach holiday is from September-mid-December and April-June, when the days are sunny and temperatures warm. From mid-December-March is the cyclone season, bringing occasional tropical rains. June-August (winter) nights are cool and the temperatures along the coastline pleasant.
The average daily maximum temperature in January is 86° F (30° C) and in July is 75° F (24° C). Surf temperatures inside the reefs near shore are around 74° F (23° C) in winter and 81° F (27° C) in summer.
The first known discovery of Mauritius was by colonizers from Iran in 975 A.D., but they chose not to settle. They moved on to what is now Mombasa and Pemba Island . Later, in the sixteenth century, the Portuguese used the island as a staging post along their trade route to India .
The Dutch came in 1598 led by Wybrandt van Warwyck who named the island Mauritius after Prince Maurice of Nassau . However, the Dutch did not settle on the island until 1638. In 1710 they left the island to be replaced by the French in 1715; the French renamed it Isle de France. The island then became a "legal" haven for pirates who preyed on British cargo ships in time of war between Britain and France . In fact, this type of pirating was viewed by many as a respectable business.
After 95 years of French control and influence, the British took over in 1810. Slavery was abolished in 1835. As the emancipated slaves no longer wished to work on the sugar plantations, thousands of indentured Chinese and Indian work- ers were brought in to fill their places.
Mauritius became an independent member of the British Commonwealth in 1968. Mauritius has a parliamentary democracy, holding elections every five years. Republic Day was proclaimed on March 12, 1992.
Industrial products and sugar are the country's major exports. Tea and tobacco are also exported.