Economic Freedom Summary Index, Economic Freedom of the World, 19 Sep 20232021: 7.82, Rank: 15
Islands in the southwest Indian Ocean, ruled since 1992 by the Republic of Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometers off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well asnd Rodrigues, Agaléga and St. Brandon (also known as the Cargados Carajos shoals). The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, along with nearby Réunion (a French overseas department), form part of the Mascarene Islands. The main island, where the population is concentrated, hosts the capital and largest city, Port Louis. The country spans 2,040 square kilometers.
Geographical type: Island Group
Latitude: 20.2° S — Longitude: 57.5° E
Area: 2,040 km²
ISO 3166-2 code: MU
Measures of Freedom
Human Freedom Index [PDF], The Human Freedom Index 2023: A Global Measurement of Personal, Civil, and Economic Freedom
2021: 7.61, Rank: 52, Personal freedom: 7.46, Economic freedom: 7.82
2021: 7.61, Rank: 52, Personal freedom: 7.46, Economic freedom: 7.82
Mauritius: Freedom in the World 2024 Country Report, Freedom in the World 20242024: Status: Free, Aggregate Score: 85/100, Political Rights: 35/40, Civil Liberties: 50/60
Mauritius is home to an open, multiparty system that has allowed for the regular handover of power between parties through free and fair elections. Civil liberties have historically been upheld but have increasingly been called into question.
Podcasts
The Isle of Rats: Colonial Mauritius, by Anthony Comegna, Liberty Chronicles, 3 Oct 2017Relates the history of Mauritius from the Dutch arrival in 1598, through the French period from 1715 to the British takeover in 1810 and the abolition of slavery in 1835
In September 1598, Dutch Rear Admiral Wybrand van Warwijck landed with five ships on Mauritius ... The British abolished slavery finally in 1835 and Indian laborers quickly surged ... The Creoles built Mauritius, but they were now vanishing like so many Dodos before them ... Despite the official intentions of the master class, the enslaved and freedman Creoles created their own authentic culture. They created the Creole island of Mauritius, one of the most beautiful, free, and wealthy countries there is today. But despite our own liberal notions and dreams, this was no enlightened romance.
The introductory paragraph uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mauritius" as of 15 May 2024, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.