Mauritius was first discovered by Arab seafarers in the 9th century and was visited again at the beginning of the 16th century by the Portuguese. The Dutch were the first to colonize the island in 1598 and named it after Prince Maurice of Nassau. They left around 1710 after introducing sugarcane crops, deer and monkeys. Meanwhile the ebony forests were destroyed by overexploitation and the dodo was exterminated. It became the emblem of endangered animal species and conservation worldwide. In 1715, the French took possession of the island and re-named it “Isle de France”. In 1721, Governor Mahé de Labourdonnais founded Port Louis, which later became the island’s capital. He turned the island into a prosperous French colony and a port of call on the sea journey from Europe to the Fareast round the Cape of Good Hope. He established Port Louis as a naval base, built roads and bridges. Among his other achievements, one can mention the Government House, the Line Barracks, and Chateau Mon Plaisir at Pamplemousses Botanical Gardens. Nowadays Labourdonnais’s statue still stands guard facing Port Louis harbor.

The British coveted this strategic island and in 1810 a major naval battle took place at Grand Port on the south east coast of the island. It was the only naval battle won by Napoleon, and is thus, duly engraved on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. However, three months later, the British launched a surprise attack from north of the island and the French governor general Charles Decaen surrendered. The 1814 treaty of Paris ratified the cession of Mauritius and its dependencies, Rodrigues and Seychelles, to the British. But Réunion Island, which was also captured by the British, was returned to France.

The island of Mauritius took its former name of Mauritius, and English became the official language. However, according to the treaty of Paris, the population was to keep its language, its religion and its laws. This is the reason why French is still widely spoken although the British ruled the island for 158 years.

The British abolished slavery in 1835. As the newly freed slaves refused to work in the plantations, indentured labourers were brought in from India. Chinese and Muslim traders were also attracted to these shores. Hence the melting pot which now constitutes the population of Mauritius. Mauritius gained its independence from Britain on 12th March 1968 and became a Republic on 12th March 1992. It still forms part of the British Commonwealth and follows the Westminster pattern of Government.