Mauritius in 2009

Mauritius in 2009

Area: 2,040 sq km (788 sq mi)
Population (2009 est.): 1,276,000
Capital: Port Louis
Chief of state: President Sir Anerood Jugnauth
Head of government: Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam

In 2009 Mauritius began enforcing the Equal Opportunities Act (EOA), which was passed by the legislature in late 2008 and guaranteed universal protection under the law against all forms of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age, status and physical abilities. The EOA had been created in an effort to redress ongoing social inequalities faced by many ethnic and religious minorities, including Creoles, Tamils, and Muslims, in the employment sector and other areas of the Mauritian private sector.

A plan to preserve about 650,000 sq km (250,000 sq mi) of marine habitat surrounding the Chagos Archipelago was revealed in February. The plan included the habitat of the archipelago’s largest island, Diego Garcia, a British protectorate from which some 2,000 residents had been displaced 40 years earlier to clear the island for use as a military base by the United States. In 2008 British lawmakers argued that islanders and their descendents should be allowed to return, and the reef conservation plan included the repatriation of Chagossians to serve as the nature reserve’s wardens.

Amid the ongoing economic downturn and increased job losses in the textiles and manufacturing sectors, Mauritius deepened ties with China. In February the two countries cemented development deals amounting to more than $270 million.

Mary Ebeling