| Geography | Mauritius |
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Location:
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Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar |
Geographic coordinates:
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20 17 S, 57 33 E |
Map references:
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Political Map of the World |
Area:
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total: 2,040 sq km
land: 2,030 sq km
water: 10 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues |
Area - comparative:
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almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC |
Land boundaries:
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0 km |
Coastline:
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177 km |
Maritime claims:
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measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Climate:
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tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May) |
Terrain:
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small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Piton 828 m |
Natural resources:
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arable land, fish |
Land use:
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arable land: 49.02%
permanent crops: 2.94%
other: 48.04% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
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220 sq km (2003) |
Total renewable water resources:
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2.2 cu km (2001) |
Total renewable water resources - per capita:
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1,714 cubic meters per capita |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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Total: 0.61 cu km/yr (25%/14%/60%)
Per capita: 488 cu m/yr (2000) |
Natural hazards:
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cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards |
Environment - current issues:
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water pollution, degradation of coral reefs |
Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note:
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the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs; 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 |
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