Mauritius
Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes.
Former Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam of the Social Alliance returned to power after defeating Paul Berenger of the Mauritian Militant Movement in elections in July 2005. The new premier has promised to tackle rising inflation and unemployment. To this end, he advocates trade agreements that give preference to Mauritian exports, including sugar and textiles. His predecessor Paul Berenger, a white Mauritian of French descent, became the island's first non-Hindu prime minister in 2003.
In 2002 Mauritius saw four heads of state in two weeks when successive presidents resigned over an anti-terrorism bill they said gave too much power to police. The presidency is largely a ceremonial post elected by the legislature. Mauritius's government introduced the bill in early February 2002, saying it fell in line with a United Nations resolution to combat terrorism adopted after the September 2001 suicide attacks on the United States. The Prevention of Terrorism Bill was enacted despite criticism from opposition politicians and human rights activists who say the law is too draconian.
The economy is among the strongest in Africa. It is heavily reliant on exports of sugar and textiles, but services like tourism, offshore business, and financial services have been major forces in the economy in recent years. Economic performance has been impressive for the past 15 years, with real growth averaging 7 percent between 1985-1990 and 5.4 percent during the last six years. Textiles exported from Mauritius qualify for duty-free access to the US under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) signed in 2000.
Mauritius has consolidated its position as an emerging offshore financial center of high caliber by introducing a raft of legislation – the Companies Act, the Trusts Act, and the Financial Services Development Act. The new legislation has been designed to set Mauritius on the road to further expansion in the next decade.
There are no known threats to travelers in The Republic of Mauritius, a developing nation with a stable government and a growing economy. Nevertheless, travelers should avoid crowds and street demonstrations, particularly in Creole and Asian communities. In a rare bout of violence, workers of Chinese descent rioted briefly in March 2005 over the death of a worker they said died from overwork.
