Capital
Port Louis
Time
Mauritius time zone: GMT + 4 (no difference with Moscow)
Population
The bulk of the population, about 68%, are Indo-Mauritians. 28% are Creoles (these are the descendants of Euro-African and other mixed marriages). Also, the population of the country is represented by the Chinese (about 300 thousand) and Europeans, mostly French (more than one thousand)
Language
The official language of Mauritius is English. But most of the population speaks French, Creole, Chinese.
Religion
There are quite a lot of religions represented in the republic: Hindus (48%), Catholics (24%), Muslims (17%), Protestants (9%). See liuxers for Mauritius customs and traditions.
Currency
Monetary unit of the republic: Mauritian rupee. You can exchange money at banks, airports, hotels. It is better to change money at airports, because the exchange rate is better there, and at banks, since no commission is charged for the exchange. Almost all major cities, airports, supermarkets have ATMs. On the island, you can use the following credit cards: Master Card, Visa.
Tips
As a rule, tips are included in the total bill or indicated separately no more than 10% of the total amount of the order. Taxi drivers do not have to leave a tip.
Transport
Roads in Mauritius are one large wide motorway and many narrow, winding roads. In places where there are no settlements, corridors have been cut through the sugar cane where movement is possible. In the republic, left-hand traffic.
The most common means of transport in the country are taxis and buses. Since the island is small, you can get to almost any settlement by bus, spending quite a bit of time on the way. The bus is a very economical mode of transport.
The most common transport among tourists is a taxi. Taxi is a rather expensive mode of transport.
A car can be rented by persons who have reached the age of 23 and have an international driver’s license. If you rent a car for less than a month, then it is enough to have the license that you drive in your country.
Shopping
Mauritius has many markets, shopping centers, craft shops, art galleries. Shopping is best done in Port Louis and Grand Baie.
The most popular purchases among tourists:
– Models of ships made according to old descriptions.
– Jewelry with high quality gemstones. Their price is 40% lower than in European countries.
– Textile goods. Dresses, suits, swimwear, shirts are 3 times cheaper than in Europe.
– Ceramics, wickerwork, paintings.
– Edible souvenirs: rum, vanilla tea, spices, pickled vegetables.
An export quota has been introduced for textiles of the most famous brands, as well as ships in the country. There are also duty-free shops in Mauritius. Things bought in such stores cannot be taken away, they are issued at the airport upon presentation of documents from the store.
Telephone
Mauritius code +230. In Mauritius, you can use mobile communications operators: MTS and Bee-line. It is better to buy a SIM card on the island itself than to use a card bought in your own country.
Emergency phone number – 999 (police, ambulance, fire brigade)
114 ambulance
208-70-13 or 208-70-20 – police
995-fire department
Electricity
Voltage in the networks of the Maurian Islands: 220 V.
Security
On the island of Mauritius, narcotic grass grows, which is sold by shell sellers on the beaches. The possession and use of this herb is prohibited by law and leads to a fine or even expulsion from the country. There are many police officers in the major cities of the republic, and the crime rate is very low. There are isolated cases of petty theft and pickpocketing, and then, as a rule, due to the carelessness of the victim.
The islands of Mauritius are surrounded by coral reefs. Collecting coral is prohibited and severely punished.
There are no poisonous animals and plants on the islands of Mauritius, but the bites of some insects can cause an allergic reaction.
