Mauritius is located in the South west part of the Indian Ocean, approximately 2,000 kilometres away from the southeast coast of Africa. Since it has plenty of natural and manmade attractions, Mauritius is considered to be one of the world’s most luxurious tourist destinations for its idyllic and picturesque views with white sands, crystal blue waters, a beautiful marine life and a tropical vegetation.
The island of Mauritius is 65 km long from North to South and 45 km wide from East to west with 330 km of coasts with a total surface area of 2,040 square kilometres.
Mauritius of volcanic origin, is quite a mountainous with its highest peak Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire at 828 meters, followed by Pieter Both at 823 meters and Le Pouce is the third highest mountain on the island at 812 meters.
The island of Mauritius is divided into 9 (nine) districts which consist of 1 city “Port louis” the capital, 4 towns which are Beau-Bassin Rose-Hill, Curepipe, Quatre Bornes and Vacoas-Phoenix sited in Plaines Wilhems District and 130 villages.
The 9 districts of Mauritius are:
1. Black River
Situated on the west of the island the district has an area of 259 square kilometres with an estimated population of over 90,000.
Place of interest: Flic en Flac and Wolmar Beach, Le Morne Brabant, Le Morne beach, Crystal Rock, Ile Aux Benitiers, Casela Nature Parks, Ebony Forest Reserve, Chamarel's Seven Coloured Earth, Chamarel waterfalls, Alexandra Falls, Black River Gorges, Albion Light House.
2. Flacq
Situated in the east of the island the district has an area of 297.9 km² and is the largest district of the island with an estimated population of over 140,000.
Place of interest: Belle Mare Beach, Palmar Beach, Ile Aux Cerfs, Grand Riviere South East Waterfalls, Flacq Market, Sagar Shiv Mandir Temple.
3. Grand Port
Situated in the South east of the island, the district has an area of 260.3 km² with an estimated population of over 113,000
Place of interest: Blue Bay, Pointe D’Esny Beach, Ile aux deux Cocos, Ile aux Phares and Ile aux Aigrettes (South East Islands), Domaine de l’Etoile, Blue Bay marine Park.
4. Moka
Situated in the central plateau of the island, the district has an area of 230.5 km² with an estimated population of over 84,000.
Place of interest: Bagatelle Mall, Le Pouce Mountain.
5. Pamplemousses
Situated in the north west of the island the district has an area of 178.7 Km2 with an estimated population of over 140,000.
Place of interest: Mont Choisy Beach, Trou Aux Biches Beach, Pamplemousses Botanical Garden.
6. Plaines Wilhems
Situated in the central plateau of Mauritius the district has an area of 203.3 km2 with an estimated population of 370,000.
Place of interest: The Volcano Trou Aux Cerfs, Domain Des Abineaux, Quatre Bornes Market.
7. Port Louis
Situated in the north west of Mauritius it is the smallest district of the island. Mostly covered by the capital city ‘Port Louis’ the district has an area of 42.7 km2 and an estimated population of over 120.000.
Place of interest: Le Caudan Waterfront, Blue Penny Museum, Fort Adelaide (La Citadel) Aapravasi Ghat, Champ de Mars Racecourse, Local Market, Le Caudan Waterfront Casinò.
8. Rivière du Rempart
Situated in the North-East of Mauritius, the district has an area of 147.6 km² with an estimated population of over 109,000.
Place of interest: Pereybere and Casita beach, La Cuvette Beach, Cap Malheureux (Red roof Church), La Croisette Mall, Gabriel Island and Flat Island (Northern Islands), Grand Baie Casinò, Night Clubs.
9. Savanne
Situated in the south of Mauritius, the district has an area of 244.8 km² with an estimated population of over 69,000. The southern part of the island is one of the most scenic and unspoilt.
Place of interest: Gris-Gris, Natural Bridge, Rochester falls, La Vanilla Nature Park, Riambel beach, Bois Cheri Tea Factory and Saint Aubin (Tea Route), La Vallée des Couleurs Park, Sacred Lake Grand Bassin, Baie Du Cap (Macondé).
Mauritius and Rodrigues are surrounded by 49 Islets out of which 7 has been proclaimed natural reserve and 8 as national reserve.
Mauritius mainland has a chain of small dependencies islands governed by the government of Mauritius: Rodrigues Island, Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos shoals also known as Saint Brandon and Chagos Archipelago.