Geography of Mauritius

Mauritius is an island of Africa's southeast coast located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. It is geologically located within the Somali plate.

Mauritius
Native name:
Moris

Nickname: The Star and Key of the Indian Ocean
Location of Mauritius
Geography
LocationIndian Ocean
Coordinates20°17′S 57°33′E
ArchipelagoMascarene Islands
Area2,011 km2 (776 sq mi)
Highest elevation828 m (2,717 ft)
Highest pointPiton de la Petite Rivière Noire
Administration
Largest settlementPort Louis (pop. 147,688)
Demographics
Population1,264,866 (2007)
Pop. density616/km2 (1,595/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsIndo-Mauritian 68%, Mauritian Creole people 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%

Statistics
Satellite image of Mauritius

Area (includes Agaléga, Cargados Carajos (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues):
total: 2,011 km²
land: 2,030 km²
water: 10 km²
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoais (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues.

Coastline: 177 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
continental shelf: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire 828 m

Natural resources: arable land, fish

Land use:
arable land: 38.24%
permanent crops: 1.96%
other: 59.80% (2011)

Irrigated land: 212.2 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 2.75 km3 (2011)

Environment - current issues: water pollution, degradation of coral reefs

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

Geography - note: The main island is from which the country derives its name, former home of the dodo, a large flightless bird related to pigeons, driven to extinction by the end of the 17th century through a combination of hunting and the introduction of predatory species.

Landscape near Les Mariannes.

Table of Islands
IslandCapitalOther CitiesArea (km²)Population
Agalega IslandsVingt CinqLa Fourche, St Rita, Port St James26.0290
Agalega IslandsVingt CinqLa Fourche, St Rita, Port St James26.0290
Cargados CarajosRaphaelAvocare, Ile du Sud, Coco Island3.263
Cargados CarajosRaphaelAvocare, Ile du Sud, Coco Island3.263
Islets of MauritiusPort Louis18711252980
Ile aux BenitiersIle aux Benitiers0.710
Ile Aux CerfsLe Touessrok Resort1.20
Ile des deux Cocosdeux Cocos resort0.042
Mouchoir RougeMouchoir Rouge resort0.013
Mauritius IslandPort LouisBeau-Bassin Rose-Hill, Quatre Bornes, Vacoas-Phoenix, Curepipe18601252964
More Mauritius IslandsIle aux AigrettesRonde Island, Ile de la Passe, Coin du Mire, Ile D’Ambre, Ile Plate, Ilot Gabriel, Grand Port Islets, Ile aux Serpents, Ile de L’Est8.81
Islets of RodriguezPort Mathurin11138167
Ile Crabe RodriguezPort Crabe0.42
Rodriguez IslandPort MathurinGabriel, Riviere Cocos, port south east10938164
More Rodriguez IslandsIle aux CocosIle Fregate, Ile aux Sables, Ile aux Chats, le Hermitage, Ile Gombrani1.361
MauritiusPort Louis20111291500

notes: excludes Tromelin and other îles éparses

Climate

The local climate is tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; there is a warm, dry winter from May to November and a hot, wet, and humid summer from November to May. Anti-cyclones affect the country during May to September.

Cyclones affect Mauritius or Mauricio during November–April. Hollanda (1994) and Dina (2002) were the worst two last cyclones to have affected the island.

Terrain

The country's landscape consists of a small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling a central plateau. Mauritius is almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards. The main island is of volcanic origin.

The mountains with the greatest prominence include:

Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire, 828m, the highest point of the island[1]

Le Morne Brabant, 556m

Tourelle de Tamarin, 563m[2]

Corps de Garde, 720m, prominence 382m[3]

Le Pouce, 820m, prominence 352m[4]

Pieter Both, 820m, prominence 229m[5]

Montagne Cocotte, 780m

Extreme points

This is a list of the extreme points of Mauritius, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

  • Northernmost point – Tappe à Terre, North Island, Agalega Islands
  • Easternmost point – Trou d’Argent, Rodrigues Island
  • Southernmost point - Le Gris Gris, Savanne District, Mauritius
  • Westernmost point - North West Point, North Island, Agalega Islands

See also
  • Outer islands of Mauritius

References
  1. https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=11331
  2. https://peakery.com/tourelle-du-tamarin-mauritius/
  3. https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=51095
  4. https://peakery.com/le-pouce-mauritius/
  5. https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=51092

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook website https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html.

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