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@Mauritius
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Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of
Madagascar
Geographic coordinates: 20 17 S, 57 33 E
Map references: World
Area:
total: 1,860 sq km
land: 1,850 sq km
water: 10 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint
Brandon), and Rodrigues
Area--comparative: almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 177 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry
winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Terrain: small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains
encircling central plateau
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Piton 828 m
Natural resources: arable land, fish
Land use:
arable land: 49%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 23% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 170 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: cyclones (November to April); almost completely
surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards
Environment--current issues: water pollution
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
People
Population: 1,182,212 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 26% (male 156,616; female 153,698)
15-64 years: 68% (male 398,557; female 402,674)
65 years and over: 6% (male 28,586; female 42,081) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.18% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 18.49 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.69 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 16.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.
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