Preface: My tour of Mauritius took place more than 30 years ago. It is only now - in May, 2009 - that I put this info on the WWW.
But I am not only using the journal I wrote in 1978 and the photographs I took (B.D. = Before Digital), but also some of the plethora of information
now at one's fingertips through Google - which, as of May 13, 2009 offered for the entry "Mauritius" about 108,000,000 links,as well as 10,200,000 images!
Not only does this miracle help update my story, but it is a veritable time-travel experience added to that of just going from one place to the next . . .
By way of introduction, some historic, political, geographic and economic facts gleaned from various sources given by Google: Independence from the United Kingdom
- Date 12 March 1968
- Republic 12 March 1992 Area
- Total 2,040 km2 (179th)
787 sq mi
- Water (%) 0.05 -
World Fact Book CIA: GDP - per capita (PPP): $12,100(2008 est.) - $11,600(2007 est.) -$11,100 (2006 est.)
composition by sector: agriculture: 4.5% - industry: 24.9% - services: 70.6% (2008 est.) Labor force: 584,000 (2008 est.)- by occupation:
agriculture and fishing 9% - construction and industry 30% - transportation and communication 7%
trade, restaurants, hotels 22% - finance 6% - other services 25% (2007)
Unemployment rate: 7.6% (2008 est.) -
BBC's Mauritius Timeline
