Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other Christian 8.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Languages
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)
English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Exports
clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses, fish
External Debt
$5,768,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
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
0.100%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
0
Location
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Area
2,040 km sq
71,740 km sq
Coastline
177 km
402 km
Climate
tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
