History of Mauritius

Malay and Arab sailors are thought to have visited the island in the 16th century. It appeared on a map as early as1502. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to set foot on Mauritius. As a tribute to explorer Pedro Mascarenhas, the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, and French-owned Réunion are known as the Mascarene Archipelago. In September 1598, Dutch sailors arrived on the uninhabited island and named it Mauritius in honor of Prince Maurice of Nassau.

The Dutch began to settle the island in 1638, but they abandoned it in 1710 when sugarcane cultivation proved a failure. The Dutch are credited with introducing sugar (now a productive industry) and deer to the island, but they are also charged with causing the extinction of the dodo bird and destroying rich ebony forests. Guillaume Dufresne d’Arsel claimed Mauritius for France in September 1715 and named it Isle de France. From 1735 to 1746, Mauritius flourished and developed under the direction of François Mahé de Labourdonnais.

The British won Mauritius from France in 1810. After the abolition of slavery in 1834, indentured laborers from India were brought to work in the sugarcane fields. While the British officially ruled Mauritius, they allowed French culture, language, and a Napoleonic law code to be maintained by the Franco-Mauritians, who remained the largest European ethnic group on the island. Mauritius gained independence from Britain in March 1968 through the leadership of Sir Seewoosager Ramgoolam, who became the nation’s first prime minister.

From 1982 to 1995, parliament was dominated by the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), led by Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth. After he attempted to change the constitution in order to override a Supreme Court ruling, opposition candidate Navin Ramgoolam (son of Sir Seewoosager Ramgoolam) won a landslide victory in 1995 elections. A coalition between his Mauritian Labor Party (MLP) and the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) completely dominated the balloting. Rivalries forced Ramgoolam’s coalition to split in 1997, but the MLP remained the governing party.

In 2000 elections, an alliance of the MSM and MMM captured parliament, ousting Ramgoolam. Jugnauth was voted back as prime minister. In keeping with an agreement between the two coalition parties, Jugnauth resigned in September 2003and allowed MMM leader Paul Bérenger to take the primeministership. Amid an increase in inflation and unemployment, Bérenger dissolved parliament and called for elections in July 2005.

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Ramgoolam’s Social Alliance defeated the MSM-MMM coalition by taking 38 of 62 parliamentary seats.

Because of its political stability, Mauritius has been able to better develop its health, education, and economic resources and strategically plan how to build its infrastructure. Historically dependent on sugar production, Mauritius has successfully diversified its economy since independence to include major textile, tourism, and banking industries. It is now one of Africa’s most prosperous nations.

References:

“Republic of Mauritius.” CultureGrams World Edition. 2008.

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