"At night, under the deep blue sky, the stars cover the sky, so real that it is within reach, and the moon glides through the clouds. I felt that I was in a special place, that I had come to the end of my journey, a place I should have come to a long time ago. "This is the feeling of a lot of people coming to Mauritius for the first time. Wandering on the beach here, the salty sea breeze blowing, there is an unreal sense of time travel, you can hardly imagine that in the poor and backward and disease-ridden Africa that people have in mind, there will be a place known as "paradise".
At night, under the deep blue sky, the stars fill the sky, so real that it is within reach, and the moon glides through the clouds - Mauritius
Blessed with Mauritius
Mauritius, short for The Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in eastern Africa, located in the southwest of the Indian Ocean, 160 kilometers from French Reunion, about 850 kilometers from the island of Madagascar, and 2,000 kilometers from the east coast of the African continent. The territory consists of the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, Agalega and Caragados-Carajos, with a total area of 2,040 square kilometers, with the capital being Port Louis.
Mauritius is an island nation in eastern Africa, located in the southwestern Indian Ocean, 2,000 km from the east coast of the African continent.
The territory of Mauritius consists of the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, the Agalega Islands and the Calagados-Carajós Islands.
Among them, the island of Mauritius covers an area of 1865 square kilometers, with a width of 47 kilometers from east to west and 61 kilometers from north to south, which is oval in shape. Although the coastline of Mauritius is only about 250 kilometers long, the marine exclusive economic zone is as high as 2.3 million square kilometers, you must know that China has 4.73 million square kilometers of marine land, and Mauritius is rich in tuna, pike, and other large deep-sea fish, rich in fishery resources.
The island of Mauritius is located 160 km from French Reunion and about 850 km from Madagascar.
The island of Mauritius has an area of 1,865 square kilometers, 47 kilometers wide from east to west and 61 kilometers long from north to south.
Viewed from above, Mauritius is like a green boat with a white halo on the ocean, but it still maintains the original appearance of a volcanic island, with lava and crater traces, fine white sand and black volcanic stones, and the turquoise cane fields on the island form a wonderful picture. The "white halo" is surrounded by coral reefs and lagoons, and the island has diverse geomorphology, with plateaus in the middle and narrow plains along the coast, with many excellent harbors. The terrain is high in the south and low in the north, with low mountains and lone peaks in between, mostly 300-600 meters above sea level, and the highest point is 827 meters above sea level.
Seen from above, Mauritius resembles a green boat with a white halo on the ocean, but it still retains the original appearance of a volcanic island.
The terrain of Mauritius is high in the south and low in the north, with low mountains and lone peaks in between, mostly 300-600 meters above sea level, and the highest point is 827 meters above sea level.
Mauritius is a warm and humid island country with a subtropical maritime climate divided into summer and winter throughout the year: summer from November to April, and the coastal temperature is 30°C; May to October is winter, the average coastal temperature is 24°C, the coast is hot and humid, and the middle highlands are cooler. Rainfall is abundant throughout the year, but the rainfall is unevenly distributed throughout the island, with the southeast windward slope of the central plateau reaching up to 5080 mm, and the west coast of the leeward slope only 1010 mm. From December to March, there are many hurricanes and heavy rainfall. So April-June and September-November are the best travel periods.
Mauritius is a warm and humid island country with a subtropical maritime climate divided into summer and winter throughout the year.
Mauritius is the best time to visit from April to June and September to November.
Colonized "Paradise Island"
Geographically, Mauritius stands on the Chagos Archipelago and the Seychelles Archipelago, strategically important and is the key point of shipping between the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. So after the beginning of the Age of Exploration, when the Portuguese opened up a route to the Far East, bypassing the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, the later maritime powers such as the Netherlands, France and Britain flocked to the sea. However, the Portuguese cared more about oriental spices and silk, so although they first landed on the southwestern Indian Ocean islands such as Mauritius and Seychelles, they only regarded them as freshwater supplies, rather than establishing colonial strongholds.
After the beginning of the Age of Discovery, the first Portugal and the later maritime powers such as the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom flocked to the sea.
Schematic diagram of the invasion of Western colonists in the early colonial period of the 15th-17th centuries
So the first to occupy Mauritius were the Dutch, who came here in 1598 and established a permanent settlement on the island in 1638, Port Louis is one of the strongholds, they cultivated sugar cane on the island, which was the starting point of the development of Mauritius and even the beginning of the country's history. Later, after the Dutch lost their status as "sea coachmen", they finally evacuated Mauritius. Mauritius was taken over by the French who occupied Reunion nearby, and changed its name to "Île de France", and also carried forward sugar cane cultivation, and since then Mauritius has developed rapidly in sugar cane cultivation and sugar processing industry.
The Dutch established a permanent settlement on the island in 1638, and Port Louis was one of the strongholds.
After nearly 300 years of operation, Port Louis has become the largest container handling port in the Indian Ocean and the only port in Mauritius.
Of course, Port Louis got its name after the French occupation of Mauritius, named after King Louis XV of France, which used it as the most important supply station for the fleet after bypassing the Cape of Good Hope, and after nearly 300 years of operation, Port Louis has become the largest container handling port in the Indian Ocean and the only port in Mauritius. Of course, this is all an afterthought. Because during the Napoleonic Wars in 1814, the British replaced France in Mauritius, and Mauritius became a British colony.
Mauritius was the most important supply depot for the Western powers' fleets after they bypassed the Cape of Good Hope.
Colonial rule lasted until the independence of Mauritius in 1968, when Mauritius was a constitutional monarchy, with the Queen of the United Kingdom as the head of state and the Governor exercising powers on her behalf, until the transition to a parliamentary republic in 1992. However, hundreds of years of colonization still left a deep imprint on Mauritius and developed a unique culture.
Hundreds of years of colonization still leave a deep imprint on Mauritius and develop a unique culture.
Temples in Mauritius, full of Indian style
Due to colonial needs, immigrants from Europe, Asia and Africa mixed and integrated in Mauritius, and the total population of about 1.26 million (2020) in Mauritius is made up of multiple races: Indian-Pakistani (69%), Creoles (mixed European and African race, 27%), Chinese (2.3%) and European (mainly French, 1.7%). So the language is also mixed with English (the official language), French and Creole, and of course all the locals can understand the unrestrained and enthusiastic melody of Sekana.
Due to the needs of colonization, immigrants from Europe, Asia and Africa mixed and integrated in Mauritius.
Seka is a combination of traditional song and dance and music. Foot grinding, hip shaking, and Creole lyrics are all part of the music.
The birthplace of modern indentured labor
The special demographic composition of Mauritius is closely related to the colonial activities of Britain and France. A particularly good place to know this is Apravasi Gat, located on the waterfront of Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius. Built in 1849, this complex has a history of more than 150 years, although only 15% of it still exists due to natural disasters and historical reasons, but through this immigration transit station, you can still see the traces of the British replacing black slaves with modern indentured labor, so this is also known as "the birthplace of modern indentured labor and the global economic system".
The British made Mauritius a pilot for the experiment of "replacing black slaves with free labor."
Apravasi Gat called it "the birthplace of modern contract labor and the global economic system."
Simply put, the British set up Mauritius as a pilot to experiment with "replacing black slaves with free labor". The slave trade began in the 16th century and has lasted for more than 300 years, and with the inefficiency of black slaves and the unadaptation to the new stage of the capitalist economy, Britain urgently needs a more autonomous labor force to fill the colonial development work all over the world.
Of the six major East India companies of the colonial era, the British East India Company was the most powerful.
Between 1834 and 1920, nearly half a million indentured labourers came to Mauritius from British India, China, Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
So between 1834 and 1920, nearly half a million indentured labourers came to Mauritius from British India, China, Southeast Asia, etc., either staying in the sugar mills and sugar cane forests of Mauritius or transported to Australia, South Africa, East Africa, or the Caribbean in North America.
The Aprawasi Gat area, a World Heritage Site in Mauritius, is where Indian, Chinese and Southeast Asian laborers first landed.
In 1810, the British East India Company began transporting labor from Guangdong, China, to Mauritius.
These workers from South Asia and China, more than 95% of them, after the expiration of the employment contract, chose to live permanently in Mauritius, although the indentured labor treatment is low, only 5 rupees per month, but so many people choose to stay also from the side to illustrate the poor living environment of the hometown at that time, and this history also constitutes the framework of today's Mauritian population, it can be said that 70% of the ancestors of Mauritians entered Mauritius in Apravasi Gat. As a result, it has become a historical site in Mauritius.
Number of Indian laborers emigrating from 1830 to 1917.
Of course, the modern indentured labour system born in Mauritius, the UK is undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary. By 1850, Mauritius had become the largest sugar producer among the colonies of the British Empire, accounting for 7.4% of the world's sugar production at that time. And as the system was implemented around the world, British India (that is, the South Asian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) exported more than 20 million laborers to the British colonies, which is why Indians spread throughout South Africa, East Africa and Australia, North America, and Britain.
British India exported more than 20 million laborers to the British colonies, which is why Indians spread throughout South Africa, East Africa and Australia, North America, and Britain.
Sunak was the first Asian-American prime minister in British history and the youngest prime minister since 1812.
In addition, Rishi Sunak, who has just been elected as the 57th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, is from the Indian state of Punjab. Of course, in addition to Indians, the Chinese are also from this moment to step into the world, although the number is far inferior to the Indians, but also after several generations of migration, reproduction, Chinatown also spread all over the world, and this change from Mauritius, not only changed the world's economic pattern, but also profoundly changed the composition of the world population. So in 2006, the Apravasi Gat complex was approved by UNESCO for inclusion on the World Heritage List.
Indian-inspired curry rice is a common element in the Mauritian diet.
Mauritius: An African island nation from purgatory on earth to paradise
So when you come to Mauritius, you will have the illusion of coming to India, especially in ordinary restaurants, Indian curry is a common element in the Mauritian diet, of course, Chinese food fried and fried also has a legacy, the most representative is fried rice and fried noodles. Fortunately, as Mauritius opens up to the Chinese market and a large number of Chinese vacation visitors here, Chinese food culture is accelerating its influence on the island nation.
Last review: A round of "crescent moon" floating in the Indian Ocean has won more than 430,000 square kilometers of sea territory for Mauritius
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