General and Practical Information

Landing & Departure Airport:

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR) International Airport.

Credit Cards :

Credit cards are normally accepted by banks and most hotels, restaurants and tourist shops.

Culture :

Mauritius is a blend of diverse cultures and religions. The population consists of Hindus, Creole, Chinese, Muslims and Europeans.

Currency

The monetary unit is the Mauritian Rupee (Rs.) which is divided into 100 cents (cs).

Driving:

People in Mauritius drive on the left-hand side of the road and give way to the right.

Foreigners with a driving licence issued by a Competent Authority in their respective countries are allowed to drive during their stay in Mauritius.

Economy:

The Mauritian economy is based on four sectors: Textile, Tourism, Sugar and Services.

Emergency:

Police(ambulance ) :999

Fire : 995, Samu : 114

Geography:

Mauritius is located approximately 2000 kilometres to the south eastern coast of Africa and lies east of Madagascar on 20°5, 57.5E. The country covers an area of 1865km_ with 330 kilometres of coastline. Mauritius is 45km in width and 65km in length.

Government:

Mauritius is a democratic state based on the Westminster model and enjoys political stability.

History:

Of volcanic origin and generally sheltered by barriers of coral reefs forming natural, safe, crystal clear lagoons, Mauritius has long been a dream destination. Known to the Arabs as early as the 10th century, but officially «discovered» in 1505 by the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas, the island was occupied successively by the Dutch (1598-1712) and the French (1715-1810), and was ceded to Great Britain in 1814 through the Treaty of Paris. On 12 March 1968, Mauritius became Independent. Republic Day was proclaimed on 12 March 1992.

Language:

Most people in Mauritius are bilingual and are equally fluent in English and French. Creole and French are the main languages in the everyday environment and several oriental languages are also spoken.

Medical services:

Free public medical facilities are widely available. Private clinics provide medical services for a fee.

Shopping:

Shopping hours in our main cities range from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm (Monday-Saturday). Some shops are open till noon on Sundays and public holidays. Many duty free shops and modern shopping centres (Caudan, Curepipe, Floréal Square, Happy World House, Orchard Centre) offer a wide choice of products.

Please note that there are no shops open in Rose-Hill, Curepipe and Quatre-Bornes on Thursday afternoon.

Time & Telecommunications:

Mauritius is four hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and three hours ahead (2 hours in summer) of mid-European Time. Mauritius has international direct dialling facilities to most parts of the world as well as high speed fax and internet services.

VAT:

A value added tax of 15% is payable on goods and services including hotel and restaurant bills.

Some Useful  Links

Air Mauritius; http://www.airmauritius.com/

Bank of Mauritius; http://bom.intnet.mu/

Central Water Authority; http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/cwa

Climate; http://metservice.intnet.mu/

The conference will be held in the winter months with a maximum temperature of 30 °C and a minimum temperature of 15 °C.

Customs, http://www.mauritius-embassy.de/customs.php

Central Electricity Board; http://cebweb.intnet.mu/

Foreign Exchange Rate; http://www.mcb.mu/home/index_mcbnew.html

Government of Mauritius; http://www.gov.mu

Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority; http://www.mauritius.net/index.php

Mauritius Postal Service; http://www.mauritiuspost.mu/

Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport Mauritius; http://aml.mru.aero/

Visa Requirements; http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/passportSite/menuitem.0bcce5f722a8dc2a9528f049a68521ca/