proper noun

• An island country in the Indian Ocean, about 550 miles (850 km) east of Madagascar; population 1,300,000 (estimated 2015); capital, Port Louis; languages, English (official), French (official), Creole, and Indian languages. The two main islands are Mauritius and Rodrigues.

  The Portuguese visited uninhabited Mauritius in the early 16th century. It was held by the Dutch 1598–1710 and then by the French until 1810, when it was ceded to Britain. Mauritius became independent as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations in 1968