Mauritius is a country in Africa, known for its tropical beaches and diverse culture. It has a population of over 1 million, making it the 160th largest country in the world. Its capital is Port Louis. Mauritius has a service-based economy with strong tourism sector.The country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, however. Most Mauritians are multilingual, speaking English, French, Creole and Asian languages.

Mauritius was discovered by Portuguese explorers in 1507, who found no native inhabitants. The Dutch settled the island in the mid-17th century and abandoned it later at the beginning of the 18th century. The island then became a French colony and was renamed Isle de France before the British took control in the early 19th century. It remained under British rule until 1968. Some inhabitants of Mauritius today are descendants of French and British inhabitants. There are also populations of Indian descent (Indo-Mauritian), Creoles, Sino-Mauritians, Franco-Mauritians and Chinese.

Mauritius is religiously diverse with no majority religion. 49% of the population are Hindus, followed by Christians (32%), Muslims (17%), and Buddhists (0.4%).