Known by many as home to the now extinct dodo, a large flightless bird, Mauritius is today not only one of the main commercial centres of the Indian Ocean, but also one of its most popular tourist destinations. Most of the population are descendants of those who came over in the mid-to-late 19th century to work on the sugar plantations.

Mauritius had no indigenous population before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century. Today it is a vibrant society noted for its British political institutions, French architecture and blend of Indian, Chinese and Creole culture.

The island of Mauritius and its neighbour Reunion are both part of an ancient undersea volcanic chain. However unlike Reunion, Mauritius is no longer active and most of the evidence of volcanic activity has long since eroded away, with the exception of the odd pillar of basalt still pointing skywards. Mauritius consists of a broken ring of mountain ranges encircling a central tableland that slopes upwards towards the south of the island. Coastal plains surround the plateau, except in the southwest where the plateau drops off steeply into the sea.

Coral reefs almost completely surround the island providing material for the white sand beaches for which Mauritius is so famous for and which are one of the islands main tourist attractions. Inland the vegetation is lush and green. Plantations of sugarcane and tea dominate the rolling countryside.

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