Mauritius Local Customs

Besides tourism, producing sugar, textile industry etc, part of Mauritius economy comes from fishing in the surrounding waters with plenty of marine wildlife. I hope that these fishing activities are controlled so as to preserve the ecosystem.

The houses and buildings of Mauritius are generally very colourful, especially in the smaller towns and villages. Also, the streets and generally clean and filled with lots of people as there are not many walkways along the streets.

The Dutch were the first significant people to come, naming the place "Mauritius" after one of their royal princes. Then came the French which had strong influence on the island followed by the British which defeated the French around 1810. Eventually, Mauritius became independent and recently, a republic country.

Most of the people in Mauritius are of Indian origin and believes in Hinduism. Their ancestors came to Mauritius from India during the war between the French and British in the 1800s, where the British called for large reinforcements from India which eventually won them the war. Other religions include Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity.

The population of Mauritius is made up of mainly Indian (Hindus) followed by Muslims and a small percentage of Chinese. The population is about 1.2 million people and most people are friendly, can speak English and French as well as Creole (a local dialet langauge).

Greet a Mauritian by kissing on both cheeks, not just one!

Life in Mauritius is generally relaxed and slow paced, and people are friendly. The economy is mainly driven by tourism, the sugar producing industry from sugar canes as well as the textile industry.