Continuing our Going Global series, we’re taking ‘shallow dives’ into some of the more exotic, far-flung, or lesser-known locations that make up the 80+ countries where Orchid’s Sage Add-ons have taken root.
We’ve already visited the landlocked African Kingdom of Eswatini; Aruba and Saint Lucia in the Caribbean; American Samoa in the South Pacific; and Australia’s nearest neighbour, Papua New Guinea. This time we set sail into the Indian Ocean, making landfall in the island nation of Mauritius.
Ten (or so) things you may not know about…Mauritius
(Most of the information below is sourced from Wikipedia)
- Located about 2,000km off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar, the nation of Mauritius is actually a group of islands, the largest of which is also called Mauritius.
- It is generally accepted that Arab sailors first discovered the uninhabited main island around 975, and Portuguese sailors visited in 1507. The Dutch took possession in 1598, renaming it Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange, and inhabited it in 1638.
Dutch explorer Abel Tasman set sail from Mauritius to begin his famed 1642 voyage eastward in search of the “Great Southern Land”, during which he came upon and mapped parts of the Tasmanian and New Zealand coastlines.
- The Dutch made multiple unsuccessful attempts at establishing a permanent settlement on Mauritius before France took possession in 1715. It was seized by the United Kingdom in 1810, and formally ceded to the UK four years later under the Treaty of Paris.
Mauritius and France still dispute sovereignty over the island of Tromelin, which the Treaty of Paris failed to specifically mention.
- Mauritius finally achieved independence in 1968, but not before the UK had split the seven atolls of the Chagos Islands off from Mauritian territory, forcibly expelled the local population, and leased the largest island, Diego Garcia, to the US.
In 2024, the UK started negotiations with Mauritius to return the Chagos Archipelago, but the deal was put on hold following the 2024 United States presidential election “to allow consideration from the new incoming administration”.
- Mauritius was proclaimed a republic in 1992, with the British monarch removed as head of state.
- Before the Portuguese arrival in 1507, there were no terrestrial mammals on the island. This allowed the evolution of a number of flightless birds and large reptile species, but the arrival of humans saw the introduction of invasive alien species and the rapid destruction of habitat. Less than 2% of the native forest now remains.
The main island was the only known home of the dodo, which become extinct soon after human settlement.
- The people of Mauritius are diverse in ethnicity, culture, language and faith. It is the only country in Africa where Hinduism is the most practised religion.
- The island's government is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system with Mauritius highly ranked for economic and political freedom. The Economist Democracy Index ranks Mauritius as the only country in Africa with full democracy.
- Despite periods of turmoil since independence, Mauritius it is consistently ranked as the most peaceful country in Africa.
- The country is a welfare state. The government provides free universal health care, free education up through the tertiary level, and free public transportation for students, senior citizens, and the disabled.
- Mauritius is often described as Africa's most developed country, having evolved from a low-income, agriculture-based economy to a high-income diversified economy, based on tourism, textiles, sugar, and financial services.
The economic history of Mauritius since independence has been called "the Mauritian Miracle" and the "success of Africa"
- Finally, a bit of trivia: Anne from Orchid worked briefly in Mauritius before moving to Australia and helping to establish Orchid Systems.
Orchid EFT's Global Footprint
Today, Orchid’s EFT Processing supports 800+ bank formats in 80+ countries.
From Aruba to Zimbabwe, Mauritius to Mozambique, we may already have the format you need. If not, just let us know and we can set it up!
