Today mauritus is celebrating 44 years of independence.
The known history of Mauritius begins with its discovery by Europeans and its appearance on maps in the early 16th century. Mauritius was successively colonized by the Dutch, the French and the British, and became independent in 1968. However there been evidence that it was visited by the arabs in 1502 and has a historical name of dina harobi. Mauritius is a multicultural island with people over 6 different regions of the world and 12 different religions and 5 languages with no place for racism or communal war.
When maurtius became independent, the flag was raised at his one and only hippodrome (racetrack) known as the Champ de mars (Field of march) which was founded in 1812 and is the oldest active racetrack in the southern hemisphere and 3rd oldest in the world.
The Champ de Mars track follows a very selective right hand and oval path and is relatively small in size, with a circumference of 1,298 meters and width between 12 and 14 meters. The home-straight extends uphill and is 225 meters long.
Thoroughbred racing is the most popular sport on the island and the electrifying ambiance on race days is exceptional in the whole world, notably during the Maiden Cup which is ran on 2400 meters and can attract crowd of upto 110 000 people.
Area 2,040 km2
Population 1.3 million
3 videos worth knowing about mauritius
