Politic :

Mauritius became an independent and sovereign country on 12 March 1968 after a referendum in 1967 among the population. It has a Westminster-style democracy, and the members of parliament (MPs) are elected every 5 years.

The President is the Head of State and Commander in Chief, and is nominated by the Government in power, and the opposition for a term of 5 years. Full executive power rests with the Prime Minister, who is the head ofGovernment.

The Mauritian public benefits from two important and normally independent newspapers, namely Le Mauricien and L'Express.

National anthem :
Glory to thee Motherland O Motherland of mine Sweet is thy as beauty Sweet is thy as fragrance Around thee we gather As one people, as one nation For peace, justice, and liberty Beloved the country, may God bless thee For ever and ever.

Economie :

The 3 mains pillars of the Mauritian economy are Agriculture, Textile, and Tourism.
The sugar cane crop covers 90% of the islands cultivated area and the industry produces each year 600 to 700 thousand tones of sugar which is principally exported to Europe and US.

The textile sector employs skilled manpower and exports its products to all parts of the world.
Tourism is the most important industry with 800 000 in 2000 and is constantly growing at abouit 10% per year. Mauritius has become a very popular long haul destination and is easily accessible thanks to the different airlines serving the island.

The Offshore Centre and the Free Port are two new areas, which have become very important in our economy. The geographical location of Mauritius empowers us to become an International offshore Finance Centre. Mauritius offers a favourable environment for the implementation of banks, companies, international commercial and consultancy services, shipping agencies, database activities, recruitment agencies, fund management and other financial activities.

The future bodes well with the introduction of the informatics industry. This is being implemented by our present Prime minister who has a vision for Mauritius to become a key player in this area for the informatics trade.

Registered Banks:
· Barclays Bank
· Banque des Mascareignes (Caisse d'Epargne Group)
· Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC)
· Mauritius Commercial Bank
· State Bank of Mauritius