| The 1,865 square kilometer island is of volcanic
origin, with coral reefs circling most of the seacoast exclude the
southland The Dutch settled on the island in 1598, and named it
Mauritius, in honor of their ruler, Prince Maurice de Nassau although
the island was probably visited by Arab bargainers before the 10th
century. The Dutch colonists abandoned the island in 1710, and were
substituted by the French who renamed it Ile de France.
When the British took control during the Napoleonic wars, the name
returned to Mauritius and Indian contract labourers were presented
to make-up for the demise of slavery in the British Empire. Mauritius
won independence from Britain on 12 March, 1968; with republic status
getting in 1992.
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