Profile Mauritius
Official name: Republic of Mauritius
Capital: Port Louis
Parliament: National Assembly (66 Seats)
National day: 12 March ( Independence Day 1968 )
National Anthem: Motherland
Motto: Stella Clavisque Maris Indici ( The Star and the Key of the Indian Ocean )
Administrative areas: 9 Districts and 3 Dependant Areas.
Language:
English ( Official Language )
Other: French, Creole, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri and Morisyen.
Currency: 1 Mauritian Rupee (MUR) = 100 Cents
Denominations:
Notes; 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000 and 2,000 MUR
Coins; 1, 5 and 10 MUR
Population: 1,250,000
Ethnic groups: 68 % Indo-Mauritian; 27 % Creole; 3 % Chinese Mauritian; 2 % French Mauritian
Religion: 50 % Hindu; 24 % Roman Catholic; 17 % Muslims; 8 % Protestants
Rivers : Black River and GreatRiver.
Lake: Vacoas
Airports: 6 (2 paved runways)
Roads: 2,000 km ( 2,000 km paved roads)
The flag of the Republic of Mauritius was adopted upon independence, March 12, 1968. It consists of four horizontal stripes of equal width, colored ( from top to bottom. ) red, blue, yellow and green. The flag was recorded at the College of Arms in London on 9 January, 1968.The civil ensign ( for private vessels ) and Government ensign ( for state vessels ) are red and blue flags, respectively, each with the national flag in the canton and the Coat of Arms of Mauritius in the fly. The naval ensign ( used by coast guard vessels ) is an unusual design consisting of red, white, and blue vertical stripes of unequal width defaced by a central anchor / key emblem.
The Coat of Arms for the Republic of Mauritius was adopted in 1906, and it consists of a shield , with four quarter s. The first quarter shows a ship, a symbol of the colonial era. The second quarter contains three palm trees, representing the island vegetations. And the third- and the fourth quarters includes a key and a star. The latter forms part of the motto “ The Star and the Key of the Indian Ocean “. Sugar canes a sambur deer and a dodo supports the shield.
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