Summary
Mauritius (məˈrɪʃ(i)əs,_mɔː- ; Maurice mɔʁis, moʁis; Moris moʁis), officially the Republic of Mauritius (République de Maurice; Repiblik Moris), is an Indian Ocean island country, approximately off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Agaléga and St. Brandon. The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, along with nearby Réunion (a French overseas department), are part of the Mascarene Islands. The main island of Mauritius, where most of the population is concentrated, hosts the capital and largest city, Port Louis. The country spans and has an exclusive economic zone covering . Mauritius is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. It is believed Arab sailors first discovered the uninhabited island around 975 naming it Dina Arobi. Portuguese sailors visited the uninhabited island in 1507 with the island appearing with the Portuguese names Cirne or Do-Cerne on early Portuguese maps. A Dutch fleet, under the command of Admiral Van Warwyck landed at what is now Grand Port and took possession of the island in 1598, renaming the then uninhabited islands after Maurice, Prince of Orange. A succession of short-lived Dutch attempts at permanent settlement took place over a century with the aim of exploiting the local ebony forests, establishing a consistent sugar and arrack production using cane plant cuttings imported from Java along with over three hundred Malagasy slaves, before abandoning their efforts. France took control in 1715, renaming it Isle de France. In 1810, the United Kingdom seized the island, and four years later, under the Treaty of Paris, France ceded Mauritius and its dependencies to the United Kingdom. The British colony of Mauritius included Rodrigues, Agaléga, St. Brandon, the Chagos Archipelago, and, until 1906, the Seychelles. Mauritius and France dispute sovereignty over the island of Tromelin as the treaty failed to mention it specifically.
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