Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.

Mauritius went under French control in 1715 but the British took over the island in 1814 and during their rule amost 450000 Indian laborers were brought to work on sugar plantations. The Deigeo Garcia Islands were no longer part of the Mauritius territory after 1965. Internal self-governance was granted in 1967 and the country became fully independent the following year. The republic joined the Commonwealth in 1992.

Mauritius has a population exceeding one million people, over half of which live in rural areas. Port Couis is the main urban centre. Indo-Mauritian is the most common ethnic group and over half the population profess the Hindu faith.