The island of Mauritius has been known since at least the tenth century, however formal recordings of its exploration were made by Portuguese explorers in the sixteenth century. It was settled by the Dutch in the following century and named in honour of Prince Maurtis. It came under British rule during the Napoleonic Wars and its strategic location made it an important naval and air base.

In 1968, as part of the process of granting independence to former African colonies, Mauritius became independent and in 1992 became the Republic of Mauritius. Since that time, it has maintained a stable democracy.

Today Mauritius, with its population of some 1,284,264, is seen as an ideal tourist attraction as well as having growing financial and industrial sectors.

It is a little known fact that Mauritius was the only home to the now extinct Dodo, and with typical European style, within eighty years of Europeans discovering the island and the Dodo, it had become extinct being unable to fly or walk away from the colonisers with the required haste to maintain its safety.

The tourist video above provides an insight into the island and life there.