Country · Africa
Mauritius
Republic of Mauritius
Mauritius is a country in Eastern Africa. About 1.3 million people live there, in an area of 2 040 square kilometres. Its capital city is Port Louis.
Picture credit: Simisa (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Martin Falbisoner (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ludovic Lubeigt (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Arne Müseler (CC BY-SA 3.0 de) · Martin Falbisoner (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Mauritius?
Mauritius lies in Eastern Africa, on the continent of Africa.
It sits in the southern half of the world, roughly 2 258 km from the equator.
Its coastline is about 177 km long.
It has no land neighbours — every border it has is with the sea.
How big is Mauritius?
Mauritius covers 2 040 square kilometres.
Switzerland is about 20 times bigger.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 168th largest.
Spread everybody out evenly and you get about 620.2 people on every square kilometre.
That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Mauritius?
About 1.3 million people live in Mauritius.
That is the 153rd biggest population in the world.
People here speak English, French and Mauritian Creole.
They pay with the Mauritian rupee (₨).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 71 years.
The land of Mauritius
Its coast runs for about 177 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 9 days.
It lies inside the tropics, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Mauritius different?
Websites from here often end in .mu.
Mauritius and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about one lives in Mauritius.
It takes up less than a hundredth of one per cent of all the land in the world.
Within Africa the country ranks 51st of 54 by size, and 48th by population.
Nature and animals
The highest mountain in the country is the Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire, at 828 metres. The longest river in the country is the Grand River South East. The country has no large natural lake; its largest body of water, Mare aux Vacoas, is a reservoir.
Where this country lands in the record lists
How big is Mauritius compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 4 594 times as big as Mauritius: 9 372 610 km² against 2 040 km².
- The United Kingdom is about 119 times as big as Mauritius: 242 900 km² against 2 040 km². See both on one map
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Mauritius?
The capital of Mauritius is Port Louis. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Mauritius?
About 1.3 million people live in Mauritius, which makes it the 153rd most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
How big is Mauritius?
Mauritius covers 2 040 square kilometres, making it the 168th largest country in the world. Switzerland is about 20 times bigger.
What is the highest mountain in Mauritius?
The highest mountain in Mauritius is the Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire, 828 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Mauritius?
The longest river in Mauritius is the Grand River South East, about 34 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in Mauritius?
The largest body of water in Mauritius is Mare aux Vacoas, a reservoir of about 3 km²; there is no large natural lake in the country.
Which continent is Mauritius in?
Mauritius is in Africa, in the part called Eastern Africa.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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