OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Mauritius
DATE OF FORMATION: 1968
POPULATION: 1.2 million
DENSITY: 1671 people per square mile
LANGUAGES: French Creole, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Chinese, English, French
RELIGIONS: Hindu 52%, Roman Catholic 26%, Muslim 17%, Other 3%, Protestant 2%
ETHNIC MIX: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
GOVERNMENT: Multiparty elections
CURRENCY: Mauritian rupee