Guide

Mauritian society is highly multi-ethnic : Indian (hindus and Muslim), African, European and Chinese. The migrants settled on the island bringing with them their culture, language, values and tradition : 68% of the population is of Indian origin (including 51% of Hindu religious belief, and 17% of muslin religious belief); they are followed by the creoles (27%), the Chinese (3%) and the Europeans (2%).

The Indians, representing the majority in Mauritius are the descendants of the plantation workers who came after the abolition of slavery by Great Britain in 1835. The general population consists of creoles and metisses descendants of the first slaves and French colonists. The Chinese, even though, not numerous are deeply involved in the food business. Lastly, the French, heirs of the first colonists, hold a great part of the economic power of the island.
The Mauritian constitution does not mention any official language for the country. However, English is used by the administration. On the other hand, French is the most used language in the business world. A mix of both French and English, the creole is the mother-tongue of more than 80% of the population. Multiple oriental languages are also spoken, among which, the hindi, the urdu, the tamil and the hakka, a Chinese dialect.

Despite the presence of ethnic groups which are so different, Mauritius is often presented as an example of a country where the main religions of the world co-exist in peace.