A lesser known fact is that the country of Mauritius actually comprises the islands of Mauritius, its neighbour Rodrigues and the outer islands of Cargados Carajos Shoals (or Saint Brandon) and the Agalega Islands. While this is hotly contested by Britain, Mauritians also claim the Chagos Archipelago some 2 000 km to the northeast. 

The long-extinct Dodo bird was endemic to Mauritius, with the main island of Mauritius being the only known habitat of the flightless bird, which is still considered to be the national bird of Mauritius (it’s also represented in the national Coat of Arms). It is said that the dodo evolved from pigeons who had lost their way. 

Their sad demise is said to be due to the Dutch settlers who probably first encountered the bird in 1598. Between the Dutch themselves, as well as ship rats and other animals that were introduced to the island by the Dutch, the dodo was last seen in the 1660s. It’s also been said that the author of Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll – was inspired to write his tale based on a stuffed dodo he had seen at Oxford University Museum of Natural history.

The iconic Le Morne Brabant mountain played a surprising and significant role in a part of the country’s checkered past. In the 18th and 19th century, mountain was actually a refuge for escaped slaves who used the caves in the mountain to form settlements. The slaves lived here for years until soldiers arrived – who actually came to tell them of their liberation, but who the slaves thought were there to bring them back to the plantations from which they escaped. As a result, many slaves jumped to their death, as the thought of returning to their dire circumstances was considered worse than ending their lives.

The British abolished slavery in Mauritius in 1835 but realised they still needed people to work on their sugar plantations. And so they brought in indentured labourers, who largely came from India to work on their fields between 1834 and 1920. Almost half a million people were brought to Mauritius from India in this period.

While English is seen as the main language in government and is used for official administrative purposes, much of the island also speak French. Even more prolific, however, is Creole, a French-inspired dialect spoken by 85.6% of the population. Despite the facts that Creole is spoken by the majority of the population, there is no formal official language in Mauritius.

Two of the must-see sites when in Mauritius are also their two UNESCO World Heritage sites; Aapravasi Ghat and Le Morne Brabant, both of which stand today as reminders of the country’s past.

People in Mauritius are free to practice whichever religion they desire. The majority of the the population (48.5%) identify as Hindu (it’s the only African country with a Hindu majority) but there are many Roman Catholics (around 26.3% of the the population) and Muslims (17.3%) and a number of other religions are represented in the country.

The small the island nation is home to over 1.2 million people which means that it not only has the highest population density in Africa but one of the highest in the word. This incredible population is largely made up of people with Indo-Pakistani origin (around two-thirds of the population, many of which are descendants of indentured labourers). Around a quarter of the population is Creole (a mix of French and African descent) and there is a small population of Franco-Mauritians and Sino-Mauritanians (those with Chinese descent).

This gorgeous lush tropical wonderland – with over 700 species of indigenous plants – often ranks among the best beach and honeymoon destinations in the world. For example, Trou aux Biches was named the world’s best beach destination by the World Travel Awards in 2011. There are many more fascinating facts about Mauritius – there’s no doubt this is a holiday destination to remember.