History of Mauritius

Before the first settlers arrived, this island with its imposing verdant mountains, volcanoes with wild gorges and waterfalls, was the land of the Dodo. At the time it was the world's largest flightless bird, which in turn attracted sailors and merchants to replenish their supplies for the long onward voyages. Indeed the sailors left there own legacy revolving around legends of hidden treasures. The island still attracts the modern day voyager with its sophisticated hotels and immense natural beauty.

The first time Mauritius featured on a map was in 1502, bearing the name Dina Robin, with reference to the Arabs who first navigated its coast. The Portuguese landed in 1510, naming it Cisne (Swan), possibly after the legendary dodo, or after one of their ships, the dime. However, they did not decide to form a settlement.

In 1598 the Dutch disembarked at what is today Mahebourg and called the island Mauritius in honour of Prince Maurice of Nassau. It became an important stop-over on the route between Holland and Java, resulting in fierce competition between the Dutch Company and the East India Company, who used neighbouring Reunion. The first settlements from the Cape Colony followed, as did the importation of East Indian convicts and Malagasy slaves, who did little more than ravage the countryside and lead to the extinction of the famous dodo. In 1710 the Dutch deserted Mauritius in favour of the Cape, which was better situated on the route to India. Nevertheless, they left behind some important elements: sugar cane and deer (imported from Java in 1639), the first maps of the island, as well as the village names 'Flacq', 'Surinam' and 'Brabant'.

The French seized the island in 1715 and named it 'Isle de France'. The first settlements were established six years later. Under Mahe de Labourdonnais, who was governor from 1735 to 1747, the island prospered. Throughout the eighteenth century the island was the key of the Mascarenes, attracting privateers (such as Surcouf) and soldiers, for it had become a full-scale French naval base.

The island became a strategic point in the Indian Ocean. In 1810 the English took possession of the island in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars. It was of crucial importance to them because of its situation near India, the jewel in the crown. They reintroduced the name 'Mauritius' and promoted the adoption of English and British customs. The inhabitants' reaction was peaceful, but they gave up neither their Franco-Creole language nor their typically French way of life. It was towards the mid-nineteenth century that the island became truly cosmopolitan - a characteristic it has retained until today. Indeed, after the abolition of slavery in 1835, and up to 1909, the English imported cheap labour from India, which led to a strong Indian presence on the island. Chinese and Malagasies also started arriving in large numbers. Several celebrities visited the island, including Darwin, Baudelaire, Joseph Conrad, and Mark Twain.

The First World War did not bring any change. However, during the Second World War the English used the island as a naval and air base after the fall of Singapore. So, a hundred years later, Mauritius had once more found some measure of maritime prestige. On 12th March 1968 Mauritius became an independent state within the Commonwealth. Twenty four years later, on 12th March 1992, it became a republic with a president elected by parliament replacing the governor general. English has remained the official language, spoken and understood by the majority of the population, which also uses French or its Creole derivative. Today Mauritius is a prosperous country where unemployment is unheard of. While investing in the three 'classical' industries of sugarcane, textile, and tourism, the country has been able to keep up with recent economic and technological developments. Since 1970 it has become the main free trade zone in the Indian Ocean (import, processing, and re-exportation of manufactured goods). The finance sector is also facing a promising future thanks to the free trade zone created by the free port and oft-shore financial services, as is the computer sector (programming, graphics, and artificial images).

The legendary dodo was a unique indigenous species. Too friendly to attack its predators, too clumsy to flee, it fell prey to the greed of the first Portuguese and Dutch visitors to the island, who exterminated it within a few decades. The only dodos left are those reconstructed in museums, yet the bird is still alive in our imaginations, providing material for countless legends.

The Séga is the Mauritian dance par excellence. Its roots go back to Africa, to the first slaves imported to the island in the seventeenth century. Today it constitutes a vital ingredient of Mauritian culture. Nobody can possibly resist its pulsing rhythm and carefully produced setting where the women, dressed in rainbow-coloured skirts, entice their partners by offering themselves and staying ambiguous at the same time. An amazing sight you might encounter in a seaside village or high up in the south west. Most hotels organise themed Sega evenings during the week.