Economy of Mauritius

The economy of Mauritius has historically been based on agriculture, with sugar cane being the most important crop - hundereds of years of efforts expended during its colonial history under France and Britain has resulted in magnificently sculpted sugar cane fields, which were laboriously cleared of basalt boulders that now dot the fields in the form of large cairns, some of which were carved to resemble impressive stepped pyramids...

Since its independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally-based economy to a middle-income, diversified economy, with growing industrial and tourist sectors. Agriculture is still a very important sector, with sugarcane grown on about 80% of the cultivated land area and accounting for about 45% of export earnings.

More Economic Facts about Mauritius:

National Product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $9.3 billion (1993 est.)
Inflation Rate: 9.4% (1993 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 2.4% (1991 est.)
Exports: $1.32 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est)
 commodities: textiles 44%, sugar 40%, others manufactures 10%
 partners: EC and US have preferential treatment, EC 77%, US 15%
Imports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b.,1993 est)
 commodities: manufactured goods 50%, capital equipment 17%,
    foodstuffs 13%, petroleum products 8%, chemicals 7%
 partners: EC, US, S.Africa, Japan
Electricity: 
 capacity:  340,000kW
 production: 920 million kWh
 consumption per capita: 777 kWh (1993)
Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, wearing 
  apparel, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, tourist.
Currency: 1 Mauritian rupee (Rs. 1.00) = 100 cents.
Exchange rates: US$1  = RS 17.90 (Jan. 1996)
      US$1  = RS 17.80 (1995)          US$1  = RS 17.65 (1993)
      US$1  = RS 17.96 (1994)          US$1  = RS 15.56 (1992)

CHC wishes to thank the MAURITIUS ISLAND ONLINE homepage for originally posting this excellent information...

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