Geography of Mauritius
Location:
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates:
20 17 S, 57 33 E
Map references:
World
Area:
Area - comparative:
almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
177 km
Maritime claims:
Climate:
tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Terrain:
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau
Elevation extremes:
Natural resources:
arable land, fish
Land use:
Irrigated land:
170 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards:
cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards
Environment - current issues:
water pollution
Environment - international agreements:
total:
1,860 sq km
land:
1,850 sq km
water:
10 sq km
note:
includes Agalega Islands[?], Cargados Carajos Shoals[?] (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues
continental shelf:
200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Mont Piton 828 m
arable land:
49%
permanent crops:
3%
permanent pastures:
3%
forests and woodland:
22%
other:
23% (1993 est.)
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements