The nation of Mauritius consists of a large island and a few smaller islands in the Indian Ocean, 800 km east of Madagascar.
The total area of the country is only 2,040 square kilometers, but its population is about 1,200,000, larger than the population of 50 other nations. Mauritius is the eighteenth most densely populated nation in the world, with approximately 616 people per square kilometre.
Many Mauritians are descendants of Indian settlers, and more than half are Hindus. Mauritius was uninhabited when it was first visited by Europeans. Dutch settlers landed there in the 17th century, but later left the island.
Then the French took control of the island in the 18th century. The name was changed to Ile-de-France. In 1814, Mauritius came under British control and remained in British hands until it gained independence in 1968.
Mauritius is a volcanic island surrounded by coral reefs. Sugar cane plantations occupy 90 percent of the island's agricultural land. Centuries ago, Mauritius and the nearby island of Reunion were home to the dodo, a large nonflying bird that the Dutch called the "nauseating bird" because no cooking method made it palatable to eat.
Although they had trouble cooking the dodos, they had no problem killing them. The last Dodo bird died in Mauritius in 1681.
.
