Mauritius

Resource: http://www.eoearth.org/article/Mauritius

Natural Resources: arable land, fish.

Mauritius is an African island nation in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.In addition to the main island of Mauritius, the country includes the Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and the island of Rodrigues.

The main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs. It has a small coastal plain which rises to discontinuous mountains encircling a central plateau. Mauritius was home of the dodo, a large flightless bird related to pigeons, driven to extinction by the end of the 17th century through a combination of hunting and the introduction of predatory species.

Economy

Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. The economy rests on sugar, tourism, textiles and apparel, and financial services, and is expanding into fish processing, information and communications technology, and hospitality and property development. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 15% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on creating vertical and horizontal clusters of development in these sectors. Mauritius has attracted more than 32,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India, South Africa, and China. Investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).