MAURITIUS

Greens on the Indian Ocean

Port Louis October 2007-
"Star and key of the Indian Ocean " » is the Mauritian motto. - 'Star', Mauritius is a volcanic island heaven-sent in the Indian Ocean between Africa and India. Why not! It is a tropical Eden which immense white sandy beaches shaded by palm trees and Australian pines, red flamboyant and blue jacarandas, is protected by a coral belt. It is a paradise of flowers and fruits and the turquoise colours of the sea hide a wonder of multicoloured fauna and sea beds. - ' Key of the Indian Ocean' in the southern hemisphere between the Cape of Good Hope and the Indies, Mauritius is at 5° north of the Capricorn tropic, at 900 kms from East Madagascar, at 2000 kms from South of Africa and 4000 kms from the South of the Indian continent, on the ancient "spice road"
And it was only at the end of the 16th century that Dutch navigators called in 1598 at an unknown island; they called it Mauritius after the name of their Prince of Nassau, Later, the French landed in 1715 and called it "Ile de France" on behalf of their King Louis the 14th. And if Napoleon would not have declared the blockade of their islands, maybe the British would not have driven the French out in 1810. So History goes on!

Consequences of these different occupations, the island has lost the last traces of its endemic bird, the dodo , used English as its written official language and kept from the French occupation its culture and law, its spoken language and the old charm of poetic local names : Trou-aux-biches; Ile-aux-Cerfs, Flic-en-flac . The Creole dialect (which was used by the slaves with their masters at the time when the island was called "Ile de France") is still the mother tongue and is spoken by most Mauritian who are nevertheless all fluent in English and French.

The Republic of Mauritius is a nation-island of only 2040 km² but with a multiethnic population of 1.3 million inhabitants (70% Indo-Mauritian, 30% Creoles and some 30.000 of Chinese descent). Africans, Indians, Chinese, Europeans live there in an "entente cordiale" which is an example of tolerance. And all those Mauritian are absolutely welcoming and smiling people always ready to give a helpful hand.

Since its independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed a diversified economy to compensate the damage caused to the sugar cane which was grown on about 90% of the cultivated land before the drought of 1999. Tourism is nowadays a fast growing sector and the island has become a favourite destination for golfers. Ancient British colony, golf is played since 1902 at the Gymkhana Golf Club at Vacoas nearby Curepipe and nowadays Mauritius counts about ten courses some of them being championships.

Golftrotter drove (sea Driving in Mauritius ) from coast to coast on the island, up to where golf courses have found some of the world's most beautiful environment. Ren Bourne

- East Coast
- West Coast
- South Coast
- What to see
- Information and links 

Click to enlarge

Devoured by the Dutch sailors, the dodo is now Mauritius ' emblem

_______________________
They made
our trip feasible :



www.airmauritius.com

&


www.mauritours.net

see Informations
___________________

Morne golf? Oh no!Paradise!