People

With its population of 1, 182, 212 (July 1999 est.) plus over 35 000 living in Rodrigues (its small dependency), Mauritius is remarkable in its ethnic diversity. Mauritian society is woven from multi-cultured threads: Indian, African, Chinese, European. This has produced a 'heady' brew of races, languages, religions and eating habits. English is the official language, but almost everyone reads and writes French. Many Oriental languages are also spoken, but Creole remains the lingua frinca.