Mauritius /məˈrɪʃəs/ , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 870 kilometres east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the Republic includes the islands of Cargados Carajos, Rodrigues, Tromelin and the Agalega Islands. Mauritius Island is part of the Mascarene Islands, with the French island of Réunion 170 km to the southwest and the island of Rodrigues 570 km to the east. The area of Mauritius is 2040 km; its capital city... is Port Louis. The United Kingdom took control of the islands in 1810, from France during the Napoleonic Wars, and Mauritius became independent from the UK in 1968. It is a parliamentary republic and is a member of the Southern African Development Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the African Union, La Francophonie and the Commonwealth of Nations. The main languages spoken in Mauritius are Mauritian Creole, French and English.
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| Founded: | March 12, 1968 |
| Capital: | Port Louis |
| Population: | 1,275,323 |
| Official language: | English Language |
| Currency: | Mauritian rupee |
| Area: | 787.6 sq. mi. |
| GDP: | $9,728,729,229 |
| Form of government: | Parliamentary republic |
| Also known as: | Republic of Mauritius |