|
Country
|
Belgium | 
Mauritius |
|
Leader
|
King: Albert II Prime Minister-designate: Elio di Rupo
|
President: Rajkeswur Purryag
|
|
Population
|
10,438,353
| 1,313,095
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
79.650 years
| 74.710 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Brussels
| Port Louis
|
|
Largest city
|
| Brussels (population: 1,019,020) | Port Louis (population: 155,226) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.948
| 0.802
|
| GDP per capita |
$38,200 US
| $15,100 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
99%
| 84.4%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
7.3
| 5.5
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
36.2%
| 17.1%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
Albert Frere ($2.4bn US)
| NA
|
| Unemployment Rate |
7.700%
| 7.800%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
| parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence date
|
4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne)
| 12 March 1968 (from UK)
|
| Religions |
Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%
| Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other Christian 8.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)
|
| Languages |
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
| Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)
|
| Exports |
machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
| clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses, fish
|
| External Debt |
$1,399,000,000,000 $
| $5,205,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6802 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
| Mauritian rupees (MUR) per US dollar - 27.973 (2008 est.), 31.798 (2007), 31.656 (2006), 29.496 (2005), 27.499 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
1.300%
| 0.300%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
2
| 1
|
| Location |
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
| Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
|
| Area |
30,528 km sq
| 2,040 km sq
|
| Coastline |
67 km
| 177 km
|
| Climate |
temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
| tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
|
|
|
|
