For other uses see Mauritius (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 2012S 5730E / 20.2S 57.5E / -20.2; 57.5 Republic of Mauritius Republik Moris Rpublique de Maurice Flag Coat of arms Motto: "Stella Clavisque Maris Indici"  (Latin) "Star and Key of the Indian Ocean" Anthem: Motherland Capital Port Louis 2010S 5731E / 20.167S 57.517E / -20.167; 57.517 Official language(s) English12 Vernacular Mauritian Creole French English Rodriguan Creole Demonym Mauritian Government Parliamentary republic  -  President Sir Anerood Jugnauth  -  Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam Legislature Parliament  -  Lower House National Assembly Independence from the United Kingdom   -  Date 12 March 1968   -  Republic 12 March 1992  Area  -  Total 2040 km2 (179th) 787 sq mi   -  Water (%) 0.05 Population  -  2008 estimate 12880003 (151st)  -  2000 census 1179137   -  Density 631.4/km2 (18th) 1636.5/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2010 estimate  -  Total $18.061 billion4   -  Per capita $140974  GDP (nominal) 2010 estimate  -  Total $9.729 billion4   -  Per capita $75934  HDI (2010) 0.7015 (high) (72nd) Currency Mauritian rupee (MUR) Time zone MUT (UTC+4)  -  Summer (DST)  (UTC+5 (2008 only)67) Drives on the left ISO 3166 code MU Internet TLD .mu Calling code 230

Mauritius (i /mrs/; Mauritian Creole: Moris; French: Maurice pronounced: mis) officially the Republic of Mauritius (Mauritian Creole: Republik Moris; French: Rpublique de Maurice) is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean about 900 kilometres (560 mi) east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius the Republic includes the islands of Cargados Carajos Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands. Mauritius Island is part of the Mascarene Islands with the French island of Runion 200 km (120 mi) to the southwest and the island of Rodrigues 570 km (350 mi) to the northeast.

The British took control during the Napoleonic Wars and Mauritius became independent from the UK in 1968. Mauritius's area is 2040 km2 with Port Louis for capital. It is a parliamentary republic and is a member of the Southern African Development Community the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa the African Union La Francophonie and the Commonwealth of Nations. Mauritius has an upper middle income economy.

The main languages spoken in Mauritius are Mauritian Creole French and English. English is the only official language but the lingua franca is Mauritian Creole and the newspapers and television programmes are usually in French.8 Rodriguan Creole is a minority language and is spoken in certain parts of the country only. The country is composed of several ethnicities including Asian African Chinese and French. The first European explorers found no indigenous people living on the island.

The island of Mauritius is renowned for having been the only known home of the dodo. This bird was an easy prey to settlers due to its weight and inability to fly and became extinct less than eighty years after the initial European colonization. Contents 1 History 2 Politics 3 Military and police 4 Geography 5 Climate 6 Environment 7 Districts and dependencies 7.1 Dependencies 7.2 Fishing banks within EEZ 7.3 Claimed as dependencies 8 Economy 9 Transportation 10 Education 11 Demographics 11.1 Religion 11.2 Language 12 Culture 13 Electrical power 14 See also 15 References 16 External links History Main article: History of Mauritius A postcard c.1900-1910 showing the Port Louis theatre.

9 The island was known to Phonecian Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century 10 and was originally named Revis Island by the Arabs.11 Portuguese sailors first visited it in 1507 and established a visiting base leaving the island uninhabited. Five ships of the Dutch Second Fleet were blown off course during a cyclone while on their way to the Spice Islands and landed on the island in 1598 naming it in honor of Prince Maurice of Nassau the Stadtholder of the Netherlands.1213

In 1638 the Dutch established the first permanent settlement. Because of tough climatic conditions including cyclones and the deterioration of the settlement the Dutch abandoned the island after nearly a century in 1710.14 France which already controlled the neighboring le Bourbon (now Runion) took control of Mauritius in 1715 and later renamed it le de France (Isle of France). Under French rule the island developed a prosperous economy based on sugar production.

In the Napoleonic Wars (18031815) the British set out to gain control of the island. Despite winning the Battle of Grand Port Napoleon's only naval victory over the British the French surrendered to a British invasion at Cap Malheureux three months later. They formally surrendered on 3 December 1810 on terms allowing settlers to keep their land and property and to use the French language and law of France in criminal and civil matters. Under British rule the island's name reverted to the original one. Mauritius then went on to become independent in 1968. It became a republic in 1992. Politics Main article: Politics of Mauritius Incumbent Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam

Mauritius is a vibrant democracy with a regular change of governments. The Government is elected on a five-year basis. The most recent general elections took place on May 5 2010 in all the 20 mainland constituencies as well as the constituency covering the island of Rodrigues. Historically elections have tended to be a contest between two major coalitions of parties. In international affairs Mauritius is part of the Indian Ocean Commission the Southern African Development Community and the Commonwealth of Nations and La Francophonie (French speaking countries) amongst others. A more complete list can be found in the main Politics of Mauritius article. In 2006 Mauritius asked to be an observing member of Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) in order to become closer to those countries.15 According to the 2009 Ibrahim Index of African Governance which measures governance using a number of different variables Mauritius' government earned the highest rank for "participation and human rights" and "sustainable economic opportunity" as well as earning the highest score in the index overall. Mauritius came second in "rule of law" and fourth in terms of "human development".16 Office Held Office Holder Incumbency President Anerood Jugnauth 7 October 2003 Vice President Monique Ohsan Bellepeau 13 November 2010 Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam 5 July 2005 Deputy Prime Minister Rashid Beebeejaun 7 July 2005 Vice Prime Minister Xavier Luc Duval 7 July 2005 Vice Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth 11 May 2010 Senior Minister Sheila Bappoo 7 July 2005 Leader of the Opposition Paul Raymond Berenger 7 July 2005 Military and police Main article: Military of Mauritius The Special Mobile Force celebrating its 50th anniversary. Mauritius does not have a standing army. All military police and security functions are carried out by 10000 active-duty personnel under the command of the Commissioner of Police. This consists of an 8000 member National Police which is responsible for domestic law enforcement a 1500 member Special Mobile Force (SMF) and a 500-member National Coast Guard. Map of Mauritius. Satellite image of Mauritius February 2003 with traced outline of island. Beach scenery on Rodrigues Island part of the Republic of Mauritius. Geography Main article: Geography of Mauritius Together with Runion and Rodrigues Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands. This archipelago was formed in a series of undersea volcanic eruptions 8-10 million years ago as the African plate drifted over the Runion hotspot. They are no longer volcanically active and the hotspot now rests under Runion. The island of Mauritius itself is formed around a central plateau with its highest peak in the southwest Piton de la Petite Rivire Noire at 828 metres (2717 ft). Around the plateau the original crater can still be distinguished from several mountains. The island's capital and largest city is Port Louis in the northwest. Other important towns are Rose-Hill and Beau-Bassin Curepipe Vacoas Phoenix Quatre Bornes. Climate Main article: Climate of Mauritius The local climate is tropical modified by southeast trade winds; there is a warm dry winter from May to November and a hot wet and humid summer from November to May. Anti-cyclones affect the country during May to September. Cyclones affect the country during NovemberApril. Hollanda (1994) and Dina (2002) were the worst two last cyclones to have affected the island. Tamarind Falls East coast Seven-colored earth. Pamplemousses botanical gardens Environment Main article: Wildlife of Mauritius The environment in Mauritius is typically tropical in the coastal regions with forests in the mountainous areas. Seasonal cyclones are destructive to the flora and fauna however they recover quickly. Mauritius has a Ministry of Environment that is responsible for the cleanliness of the island. One of its tasks is garbage and litter collection at public places and it does an admirable job in the areas it services. Environmental complaints can be filed online and requests for Environmental Awareness can also be made.17 The estuaries are becoming polluted due to garbage which is dumped into the inland ravines by the refuse companies contracted by the Ministry of Environment. This creates a huge problem with regards to toxic water flow into the various estuaries which also has a adverse effect on various marine life.citation needed Districts and dependencies Main article: Districts and dependencies of Mauritius The island of Mauritius itself is divided into nine districts: Black River (Capital: Bambous) Flacq (Capital: Centre de Flacq) Grand Port (Capital: Mahbourg) Moka (Capital: Quartier Militaire) Pamplemousses (Capital: Triolet) Plaines Wilhems (Capital: Beau Bassin and Rose Hill Phoenix) Port Louis (Capital of Mauritius) Rivire du Rempart (Capital: Mapou) Savanne (Capital: Souillac) Dependencies Rodrigues an island 560 kilometres (350 mi) north-east of Mauritius which attained limited autonomy in October 2002.1819 It had the status of the 10th administrative district of Mauritius before autonomy was attained.20 Rodrigues. Agalega from satellite. Cargados Carajos shoals Agalega two small islands about 933 kilometres (580 mi) north of Mauritius famous for supplying chickens. Cargados Carajos also known as the Saint Brandon islands about 402 kilometres (250 mi) north of Mauritius. Fishing banks within EEZ Four submerged fishing banks are mentioned in government documents because they fall within EEZ limits: Soudan Banks (including East Soudan Bank) Nazareth Bank Saya de Malha Bank Hawkins Bank Claimed as dependencies Mauritius also claims the following territories:21 Tromelin Island currently in French possession. Chagos Archipelago currently a British possession as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Economy Main article: Economy of Mauritius Skyline of Port Louis the capital of Mauritius. Since independence in 1968 Mauritius has developed from a low-income agriculturally based economy to a middle income diversified economy with growing industrial financial and tourist sectors. For most of the period annual growth has been of the order of 5% to 6% far above the sub-Saharan African average.22 Despite the rapid growth that growth has been equitable and income equality has improved as its Gini coefficient fell from 45.7 to 38.9 between 1980 and 2006. This has been reflected in increased life expectancy lowered infant mortality and improved infrastructure.22 Estimated at US$12356 for 2009 at purchasing power parity (PPP)23 Mauritius has the sixth-highest GDP per capita in Africa behind Seychelles (US$19274 at PPP) Equatorial Guinea (US$16853 at PPP) Gabon (US$14421 at PPP) Libya (US$14381 at PPP) and Botswana (US$13417 at PPP). The economy is mainly dependent on sugarcane plantations tourism textiles and services but other sectors such as seafood processing information technology and medical tourism are rapidly developing as well. Mauritius Libya and Seychelles are the only three African nations with a "high" Human Development Index rating. Runion as part of France is not listed by the UN in their Human Development Index ranking. Sugar cane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. Mauritius is a good example of a monocrop economy but since it is no more dependent only upon agriculture using this term would not be apt. However a record-setting drought severely damaged the sugar crop in 1999. The government's development strategy centres on foreign investment. Mauritius has attracted more than 9000 offshore entities many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa while investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Economic performance during the period from 2000 through 2004 combined strong economic growth with unemployment at 7.6% in December 2004. France is the country's biggest trading partner has close ties with the country and provides technical assistance in various forms. In order to provide locals with access to imports at lower prices and attract more tourists going to Singapore and Dubai Mauritius is gearing towards becoming a duty-free island within the next four years. Duty has been eliminated for several products and decreased for more than 1850 products including clothing food jewelry photographic equipment audio visual equipment and lighting equipment.24 In addition reforms aimed at attracting new business opportunities have also been implemented. However one of the biggest impediments is the traffic movement between the towns which is slowing the development of Mauritius. The corporate tax has recently been reduced to 15% to encourage non-resident companies to trade or invest through a permanent establishment or otherwise. Mauritius ranks first among all countries in FDI inflows to India with cumulative inflows amounting to US$10.98 billion. The top sectors attracting FDI inflows from Mauritius between January 2000 and December 2005 were electrical equipment telecommunications fuels cement and gypsum products and services sector (financial and non-financial).25 Mauritius is one country that has achieved successful economic and human development with a dual-track approach to economic liberalisation whereby poorer sections of society have participated in its economic growth.26 The experience of Mauritius has been used alongside a number of other countries that have adopted a dual-track approach to highlight the benefits to both economic growth and human development.26 However inflation and its impact on living costs remains a major issue. Between 2006 and 2008 the average rate of inflation was 9.1%; between 2007 and 2010 the Consumer Price Index which gives an idea of the cost of products that are commonly consumed rose from a yearly average of 103.8 points to 120.2 points. Mauritius as seen from a commercial airplane. Transportation Main article: Transport in Mauritius The only available means of inland public transport so far are via taxi cabs and buses.citation needed Transport in Mauritius has been free since July 2005 for students the disabled and seniors. Transport has always been problematic around Port-Louis the capital city due to severe traffic jams. These are caused by both a lack of planning and tolerance of hawkers or street vendors who occupy the pavements and streets of the capital.citation needed The country's major airport is Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport which is the main base of the national airline Air Mauritius. Education Main article: Education in Mauritius Main article: Complete List of Secondary Schools (Mauritius & Rodrigues) Education from pre-primary through to secondary is free for each citizen born in the country and primary level net enrollment ratio consistently above 90% (93.3% in 1991 and 94.0% in 2009).22 Before 2001 most prestigious schools used to be called "Star Schools" and each year the CPE pupils would compete against each other to gain entrance to those schools based on a ranking system. In 2001 the government - with Steven Obeegadoo as minister of Education - decided that there would be an educational reform in Mauritius. The ranking system was abolished and replaced by the grading system coupled with the regionalisation system which advocates going to a school near one's residence. In February 2006 with Dharambeer Gokhool as minister of Education the "A+" system which is similar to the pre-2001 system was introduced. CPE students now need to get "A+" in all their subjects to gain admission to "National Colleges" which consequently became as much coveted as the "Star Schools" were before the reform.27 Demographics Main article: Demographics of Mauritius The population estimate for the whole republic is 1283415. For the island of Mauritius only as at 31 December 2010 it is 1245289.28 Mauritian society includes people from many different ethnic groups. The republic's residents are the descendants of people from India (Indo-Mauritian) continental Africa (Mauritian Creole people usually known as 'Creoles' in Mauritian Creole) France (Franco-Mauritian) and China (Sino-Mauritian) among other places. Sunrise from the east coast of Mauritius Religion Main articles: Hinduism in Mauritius Christianity in Mauritius Islam in Mauritius and Roman Catholicism in Mauritius Hindus make up 52% Roman Catholic 27.5 % other Christians 8.6% Muslims 16.6% and non-religious 0.4% while other religions up to 2.5% and an additional 0.3% didn't specify their religious beliefs.29 Most Franco-Mauritians and Mauritian Creoles are Christian. A small minority of the Muslim and the Hindu population are of South Asian origin. However many Mauritians are of mixed descent; this is due to the fact that many of the slaves were mixed up causing many 'mixed races' . These languages are still preserved through the existence of different socio-cultural organizations and with the school systems obliging primary schools' students to study an oriental language. A minority of people are of Chinese descent many of whom have embraced Christianity following mainly Roman Catholicism. Some follow Buddhism and Confucian traditions. Language The Mauritian Constitution makes no mention of an official language and its one million citizens speak mostly Mauritian Creole a French-based creole English and French. It is only in the Parliament that the official language is English although any member of the National Assembly can still address the chair in French.130 However English is generally accepted as the official language of Mauritius and as the language of government administration the courts and business. The lingua franca is Mauritian Creole.8 In Mauritius people switch languages according to the situation.31 French and English which have long enjoyed greater social status are favored in educational and professional settings.31 Also most newspapers such as Le Mauricien and L'Express and media communications are in French.32 Mauritian Creole which is spoken by the majority of the population is considered to be the native language of the country and is used most often in informal settings.31 It was developed in the 18th century by slaves who used a pidgin language to communicate with each other as well as with their French masters who did not understand the various African languages. The pidgin evolved with later generations to become a casual language.32 Mauritian Creole is a French-based creole due to its close ties with French pronunciation and vocabulary.33 Other languages spoken in certain parts of Mauritius by a limited number of people include Rodriguan Creole and Swahili. The school system of the country make it compulsory for all primary school students to study an oriental language which can be an Indian language (mostly being Hindi UrduTelugu Tamil Marathi or Bhojpuri) or a Chinese language (either Hakka or Mandarin) Arabic or an African language such as Swahili. Most Mauritians are at least bilingual if not trilingual.8323435 Culture Main articles: Culture of Mauritius and Music of Mauritius A woman performs the sega in Pointe-aux-Piments Mauritius. The cuisine of Mauritius is a blend of Indian African Chinese and European influences. It is common for a combination of cuisines to form part of the same meal. The production of rum which is made from sugar cane is widespread on the island. Sugarcane was first introduced to Mauritius by the Dutch in 1638. The Dutch mainly cultivated sugarcane for the production of "arrack" a precursor to rum. However it was during the French and British administrations that sugar production was fully exploited. Pierre Charles Franois Harel was the first to propose the concept of local distillation of rum in Mauritius in 1850. Beer is also produced on the Island by the Phoenix Brewery. The sega is a local folklore music. Sega has African roots and the main traditional instruments for producing the music are goat-skin percussion instruments called ravanne the West African Djembe and metallic clicks using metal triangles. The songs usually describe the miseries of slavery and has been adapted nowadays as social satires to voice out inequalities as felt by the blacks. Men are usually at the instruments while women perform an accompanying dance. The origin of Sega is not completely known however it is likely to have come from West African countries such as Ghana due to the similarities in the music.36 Mauritius was the only known habitat of the extinct dodo bird In 1847 Mauritius became the fifth location in the world to issue postage stamps. The two types of stamps issued then known as the Mauritius "Post Office" stamps consisting of a "Red Penny" and a "Blue Two Pence" denomination are probably the most famous and valuable stamps in the world.citation needed When it was discovered the island of Mauritius was the home of a previously unknown species of bird which the Portuguese named the dodo (simpleton) as they appeared to be not too bright. By 1681 all dodos had been killed by the settlers or by their domesticated animals. An alternate theory suggests that the imported wild boars that were set free destroyed the slow-breeding dodo population. The dodo is prominently featured as a supporter of the national coat-of-arms (see above). The island has also given rise to a diversified literature in French English and Creole. Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clzio the 2008 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature is of Franco-Mauritian origin and lives on the island for part of each year. In Mauritius the following festivals  Diwali Mahashivratri Christmas Cavadee Chinese New Year Pre Laval and Eid Al-Fitr  are celebrated.36 Recreational activities in Mauritius are quite varied to support the local tourism industry. Water sports are facilitated as the island is surrounded with coral reef providing plenty of relatively shallow and calm water. Activities such as deep sea fishing surfing windsurfing water-skiing cruising in yachts and even submarines are some of the many water based recreations available. Although it seldom breaks Tamarin Bay is one of the world's most famous surfing spots. Land-based leisure activities include golf tennis skiing sea diving deer hunting quad & mountain biking abseiling zip lining horse riding and trekking. Electrical power Mauritius uses a 240 Volt 50 Hz AC mains supply. The plugs are Type C and Type G. See also Anchor coinage LGBT rights in Mauritius (Gay rights) References a b "Article 49 of The Constitution". 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Retrieved 2008-10-11.  a b Vandemoortele Milo (2010) MDG fundamentals: improving equity for development Overseas Development Institute "Debate No" (PDF). http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/assemblysite/file/pnqans281106.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-04.  "Population and Vital Statistics Republic of Mauritius Year 2010 - Highlights". Central Statistics Office (Mauritius). March 2010. http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/cso/ei880/toc.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-31.  "CIA - The World Factbook". Cia.gov. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mp.html. Retrieved 2011-01-04.  "Mauritius defies anglophone past to embrace French language". Afp.google.com. 2008-10-18. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gn6YyJpIZpbt91LA3lwzKzWG6UXA. Retrieved 2010-07-04.  a b c Chiba Eugene (2006). "English Usage in Mauritius". Computing in the Humanities and Social Sciences  Faculty of Arts & Sciences University of Toronto. http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cpercy/courses/6362-chiba.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-04.  a b c "Facts and Figures". M2002.thecgf.com. 1968-03-12. http://m2002.thecgf.com/Nations/Africa/Mauritius/default.asp. Retrieved 2010-07-04.  Holm J. (1989). Pidgins and Creoles. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 476. ISBN 9780521359405. http://books.google.com/idPcD7p9y3EIcC&printsecfrontcover&q.  p.353. "Circular Migration Agreement will enable Mauritians work in France". Gov.mu. http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/Mainhomepage/menuitem.a42b24128104d9845dabddd154508a0c/contentiddd86a309d9ece110VgnVCM1000000a04a8c0RCRD. Retrieved 2010-07-04.  "Briefing on the Mauritian International Arbitration Act" (PDF). http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/webattorney/file/briefing.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-04.  a b Macdonald Fiona et al.. "Mauritius". Peoples of Africa. pp. 340341.  External links Official website Mauritius entry at The World Factbook Mauritius at the Open Directory Project Wikimedia Atlas of Mauritius Mauritius travel guide from Wikitravel 2010S 5731E / 20.167S 57.517E / -20.167; 57.517 v d e Mauritius topics Districts Black River  Flacq  Grand Port  Moka  Pamplemousses  Plaines Wilhems  Port Louis  Rivire du Rempart  Savanne Dependencies and territories Agalega Islands  Cargados Carajos Shoals (St. Brandon)  Rodrigues  Soudan Banks  Nazareth Bank  Saya de Malha Bank  Hawkins Bank Territorial claims Chagos Archipelago  Tromelin Politics and government National Assembly  Political parties  Elections Economy Currency  Companies  Communications  Foreign relations  Transport  Educational sector People Creole  Franco-Mauritian  Indo-Mauritian  Sino-Mauritian Religion Hinduism  Christianity  Islam Culture Prominent Mauritians  Creole language  Music Other topics History  Military  Geography   Football  Rugby  Wildlife  Geographic locale v d eCountries and territories of Africa Sovereign states Algeria  Angola  Benin  Botswana  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cameroon  Cape Verde  Central African Republic  Chad  Comoros  Democratic Republic of the Congo  Republic of the Congo  Cte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)  Djibouti  Egypt  Equatorial Guinea  Eritrea  Ethiopia  France (Mayotte  Runion)  Gabon  The Gambia  Ghana  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Italy (Pantelleria)  Kenya  Lesotho  Liberia  Libya  Madagascar  Malawi  Mali  Mauritania  Mauritius  Morocco  Mozambique  Namibia  Niger  Nigeria  Portugal (Madeira)  Rwanda  So Tom and Prncipe  Senegal  Seychelles  Sierra Leone  Somalia  South Africa  Spain (Canary Islands  Ceuta  Melilla  Plazas de soberana)  Sudan  Swaziland  Togo  Tanzania  Tunisia  Uganda  Yemen (Socotra)  Zambia  Zimbabwe States with limited recognition Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic  Somaliland Dependencies les parses (France)  Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom) Unclear sovereignty Western Sahara v d eCountries and territories bordering the Indian Ocean Africa Comoros  Djibouti  Egypt  Eritrea  Kenya  Madagascar  Mauritius  Mayotte (France)  Mozambique  France (Runion)  Seychelles  Somalia  Somaliland (Unrecognized)  South Africa  Sudan  Tanzania Asia Bahrain  Bangladesh  Burma  Christmas Island/Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia)  India  Indonesia  Iran  Iraq  Israel  Jordan  Kuwait  Malaysia  Maldives  Oman  Pakistan  Qatar  Saudi Arabia  Sri Lanka  Thailand  United Arab Emirates  Yemen Oceania Australia  Christmas Island/Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia)  Islands Bahrain  British Indian Ocean Territory (United Kingdom)  Christmas Island/Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia)  Comoros  Madagascar  Maldives  Mauritius  Mayotte/Runion (France)  Seychelles  Sri Lanka  Languages v d eMember states and observers of the Francophonie Members Albania  Andorra  Armenia  Belgium (French Community)  Benin  Bulgaria  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cambodia  Cameroon  Canada (New Brunswick  Quebec)  Cape Verde  Central African Republic  Chad  Comoros  Cyprus1  Democratic Republic of the Congo  Republic of the Congo  Cte d'Ivoire  Djibouti  Dominica  Egypt  Equatorial Guinea  France (French Guiana  Guadeloupe  Martinique  St. Pierre and Miquelon)  Gabon  Ghana1  Greece  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Haiti  Laos  Luxembourg  Lebanon  Macedonia2  Madagascar  Mali  Mauritania  Mauritius  Moldova  Monaco  Morocco  Niger  Romania  Rwanda  St. Lucia  So Tom and Prncipe  Senegal  Seychelles  Switzerland  Togo  Tunisia  Vanuatu  Vietnam Observers Austria  Croatia  Czech Republic  Dominican Republic  Georgia  Hungary  Latvia  Lithuania  Mozambique  Poland  Serbia  Slovakia  Slovenia  Thailand  Ukraine 1 Associate member. 2 Provisionally referred to by the Francophonie as the "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"; see Macedonia naming dispute. v d eCommunity of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) Members: Angola  Brazil  Cape Verde  East Timor  Guinea-Bissau  Mozambique  Portugal  So Tom and Prncipe Observers: Mauritius  Senegal  Equatorial Guinea In Process: Andorra  Morocco  Philippines  Galicia  Macau  Malacca  Goa  Croatia  Romania  Ukraine v d eDialects and accents of Modern English by continent Africa Cameroon  Liberian  Malawian  Namibian  Nigerian   South African  Ugandan  Kenyan Asia Burmese  Chinese  Hong Kong   Indian   Malaysian   Pakistani  Philippine  Singaporean   Sri Lankan  Thai  Vietlish Europe Ireland Cork  Dublin  Ulster United Kingdom Black British  Black Country  Brummie  Cockney  Cumbrian  East Anglian  East Midlands  Estuary  Geordie  Kentish  Lancashire  Mackem  Mancunian  Multicultural London  Norfolk  Northern  Pitmatic  Potteries  Received Pronunciation  Scottish (Glaswegian  Highland)  Scouse  Southern  Sussex  Ulster   West Midlands  Welsh (Cardiff)  West Country  Yorkshire Other Czech  Dutch   Gibraltarian   Guernsey  Jersey  Maltese  Manx  Swedish North America United States African American Vernacular  Appalachian  Baltimorese  Boston  Cajun  California  Central Pennsylvania  Chicano  General American  Hawai'i English  Hudson Valley  Inland Northern American  Midland  New England  New Jersey  New York City  North Central American  Northeast Pennsylvania  Pacific Northwest  Pennsylvania Dutch English  Philadelphia  Pittsburgh  Southern American  Texan  Tidewater  Western  Yat  Yeshivish  Yooper Canada Cape Breton  Lunenburg  Maritimer  Newfoundland  Ottawa Valley Twang  Quebec  West/Central Canadian Other Belizean  Bermudian  Bahamian  Caribbean  Jamaican   Trinidadian South America Falkland Islands  Guyanese Oceania Australia General Australian  Broad Australian  Cultivated Australian  South Australian  Western Australian  Australian Aboriginal  Torres Strait  Victorian English  Queensland English Other New Zealand  Pitkern v d eEnglish-speaking world Anglosphere Dark blue: Countries and territories where English is an official language and spoken natively by a significant population. Light blue: Countries and territories where English is an official language but less widely spoken. Click on the coloured regions to view the related article.     Regions where English is an official language and spoken by a significant population Africa Mauritius  Saint Helena  Americas (Anglo-America) Anguilla  Antigua and Barbuda  The Bahamas  Barbados  Belize  Bermuda  British Virgin Islands  Canada  Cayman Islands  Dominica  Falkland Islands  Grenada  Guyana  Jamaica  Montserrat  Puerto Rico  Saba  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Saint Eustatius  Sint Maarten  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands  Trinidad and Tobago  Turks and Caicos Islands  United States  United States Virgin Islands Asia Hong Kong  Philippines  Singapore Europe Gibraltar  Guernsey  Ireland  Isle of Man  Jersey  Malta  United Kingdom Oceania American Samoa  Australia  Christmas Island  Guam  Marshall Islands  Federated States of Micronesia  Nauru  New Zealand  Norfolk Island  Northern Mariana Islands  Palau  Vanuatu   Regions where English is an official language but not as widely spoken Africa Botswana  Cameroon  Gambia  Ghana  Kenya  Lesotho  Liberia  Malawi  Namibia  Nigeria  Rwanda  Sierra Leone  Somaliland  South Africa  Sudan  Swaziland  Tanzania  Uganda  Zambia  Zimbabwe Asia India  Pakistan    Oceania Cook Islands  Fiji  Niue  Papua New Guinea  Pitcairn Islands  Solomon Islands  Tokelau  Tuvalu  International membership v d eSouthern African Development Community Member states Angola  Botswana  Democratic Republic of the Congo  Lesotho  Madagascar  Malawi  Mauritius  Mozambique  Namibia  South Africa  Swaziland  Tanzania  Zambia  Zimbabwe Leaders Chairpersons: Levy Mwanawasa  Kgalema Motlanthe Secretaries-General: Kaire Mbuende  Prega Ramsamy  Tomaz Salomo See also Southern African Development Coordination Conference  Southern African Customs Union  Common Monetary Area  Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa v d eMember states of the African Union (AU) Algeria  Angola  Benin  Botswana  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cameroon  Cape Verde  Central African Republic  Chad  Comoros  Democratic Republic of the Congo  Republic of the Congo  Cte d'Ivoire  Djibouti  Egypt  Equatorial Guinea  Eritrea  Ethiopia  Gabon  The Gambia  Ghana  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Kenya  Lesotho  Liberia  Libya  Madagascar  Malawi  Mali  Mauritania  Mauritius  Mozambique  Namibia  Niger  Nigeria  Rwanda  Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic  So Tom and Prncipe  Senegal  Seychelles  Sierra Leone  Somalia  South Africa  Sudan  Swaziland  Tanzania  Togo  Tunisia  Uganda  Zambia  Zimbabwe v d eIndo-Aryan-speaking regions  Afghanistan   Bangladesh   Fiji   Guyana   India   Maldives   Mauritius   Nepal   Pakistan   Singapore   Sri Lanka   Suriname   Trinidad and Tobago  China (Tashkurgan)   Georgia ( South Ossetia)   Iran   Iraq ( Kurdistan)   Russia ( North Ossetia-Alania  Dagestan)   Tajikistan   Uzbekistan Nations with Romani speakers  Macedonia   Serbia   Slovenia   Hungary   Germany   Romania   Russia   Norway   Sweden   Finland   Turkey v d eMembers of the Commonwealth of Nations Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda  Australia  Bahamas  Bangladesh  Barbados  Belize  Botswana  Brunei  Cameroon  Canada  Cyprus  Dominica  Fiji (suspended)  The Gambia  Ghana  Grenada  Guyana  India  Jamaica  Kenya  Kiribati  Lesotho  Malawi  Malaysia  Maldives  Malta  Mauritius  Mozambique  Namibia  Nauru  New Zealand  Nigeria  Pakistan  Papua New Guinea  Rwanda  St. Kitts and Nevis  St. Lucia  St. Vincent and the Grenadines  Samoa  Seychelles  Sierra Leone  Singapore  Solomon Islands  South Africa  Sri Lanka  Swaziland  Tanzania  Tonga  Trinidad and Tobago  Tuvalu  Uganda  United Kingdom  Vanuatu  Zambia Dependencies Australia Ashmore and Cartier Islands  Australian Antarctic Territory  Christmas Island  Cocos (Keeling) Islands  Coral Sea Islands  Heard Island and McDonald Islands  Norfolk Island New Zealand Cook Islands  Niue  Ross Dependency  Tokelau United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia  Anguilla  Bermuda  British Antarctic Territory  British Indian Ocean Territory  British Virgin Islands  Cayman Islands  Falkland Islands  Gibraltar  Guernsey  Isle of Man  Jersey  Montserrat  Pitcairn Islands  St. Helena (including Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha)  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands  Turks and Caicos Islands Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mauritius