Almost 900km east of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is far enough from the mainland to get omitted from most maps of Africa. It’s sometimes excluded from accounts of the continent, too, perhaps because its atmosphere, architecture and outlook are so distinct from the mainland. Sister islet Rodrigues, is another 600km further east again. With a proudly multicultural population descended from French, British and Indian settlers as well as Africans, the country feels part-European, part-Asian and part-international. In the towns and resorts, tutti-frutti-coloured Tamil temples sit jauntily alongside the kind of modern developments that are common to tropical playgrounds such as Queensland and the Caribbean. . .
(continued on p. 324)
Links we like
Mauritian Wildlife Foundation Conservation NGO which looks after Ile aux Aigrettes and the island’s rare bats, birds and reptiles.
Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority Official visitor info.
Mauritius Delight Features about the island, including things to do.
Rodrigues Tourist Office Official visitor info.
This page last edited 9 June 2011 © Richard Trillo and Emma Gregg
First-Time Africa: know before you go 