The population in Mauritius is multiracial. Most people residing in Mauritius are the descendents of people who came from India. However, other people stem from their ancestors who came from Africa, China, Madagascar and other countries. So, this aspect makes of Mauritius a country rich in culture and multi ethnicity.
The widely spoken language in Mauritius is called the 'creole'. Creole is believed to be the language used by African slaves to communicate with their French masters long ago. This language had been derived from the French Language and has some similarities when spoken. On the other hand, the official language used in Mauritius is English. As a matter of fact, all documents and communiqués coming from the government are addressed in English. English as well as French are also instructed in all schools in Mauritius. But French is mostly used by the media, both in the form of newspapers and broadcasted.
Furthermore, there are also various languages spoken in Mauritius. These are Hindi, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telegu, Mandarin among others. Indo-Mauritians, that is all ethnic groups combined, make around 70 percent of the population in Mauritius. The remaining 30 percent may be considered as Creoles. Additionally, there may be around 30,000 Chinese people in Mauritius. Approximately 90 percent out of these may be Roman-Catholic while the remaining amount may be Buddhist. Here's a more detailed definition about the ethnical groups in Mauritius: Hindus (52%), Roman Catholic (28%), Islam (17%) and Buddhism (2.5%) among others.
Moreover, the Mauritian cuisine is a mixture of Indian, Chinese, creole and European cuisines. The 'cari poule' known as chicken curry or 'mine frite' known as fried noodles can be considered as the favourite dishes of most Mauritians. These two dishes mentioned above have been both respectively derived from the Indian and Chinese culture. The 'mine frite' as well as 'dholl puri' can be found practically everywhere in busy towns of Mauritius such as Port Louis and Curepipe. Some people gain their living by selling these foods on sidewalks or mini restaurants in Mauritius.
In addition to, Mauritius also produces a liquour called Rum. This liquour is alcoholic and is consumed by many people over the island. Mauritius had gained the inheritance of the production of Rum as it was long ago manufactured by the Dutch. In fact, the Dutch introduced sugarcane to Mauritius to produce Rum otherwise called 'arrack' at that time. It was around 60 years later that sugarcane became an industry for the production of sugar in Mauritius. But the French made full use of the sugarcane. A man known as Francois Harel suggested the construction of the first Rum distillery in Mauritius in the year 1850. Nowadays, the major Rum distillery in Mauritius is found at Tombeau Bay.
The multicultural aspect of Mauritius is what makes of the island one of the most unique places to visit in the world. Tourists coming to Mauritius may relieve the fascinating history of the island by visiting the Blue Penny Musuem or the Natural History Musuem both situated at Port Louis.
