Living in Mauritius
Mauritius is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar.
The island's capital and largest city is Port Louis, in the northwest. Other important towns are Curepipe, Vacoas, Phoenix, Quatre Bornes, Rose-Hill and Beau-Bassin .
The local climate is tropical. There is a warm, dry winter from May to November and a hot, wet, and humid summer from November to May.
Mauritian society includes people from many different ethnic groups. The Indo-Mauritians, (hindus and muslims), and Creoles (of African descent) are the predominant population. There is also a small number of people of chinese, french and british descent. The island is often praised for the harmony existing between its different ethnic groups.
Since independence, the country has been politically stable with regular elections organised every five years. The main drivers of the economy are tourism, textile and agriculture and good economic growth is noted each year. Mauritius is also generally considered to be safe from terrorism.
This section gives advice on what help we can provide if you do get into difficulty during your time in Mauritius. We offer help which is appropriate to the individual circumstances of each case, including:
