Español
  Français

A Short History of Mauritius

You are here: Countries / Mauritius

Dina Harobi was the first known name of the island of Mauritius. Discovered first by the Arab settlers, it was enriched to have its name exist on maps, particularly found in Albert Cantino’s map in 1502. The first recognized island was on around 9th century, emphasizing dense forests in an unknown realm. However, the Arabs were not satisfied in settling in the island for they had other motivations.

The Portuguese settlers were the next ones who landed in the country. A Portuguese sailor happened to see the island, naming it Cerne. Again, the next settlers were not interested in exploring the island. The Dutch, French, and British then discovered the beautiful paradise of Mauritius on the year 1502.

The first colonizers of the country were the Dutch. On 1598, they settled in the country and entered their way through a path in the south-eastern part. It was Warwyck Haven, named after the commander VanWarwyck, where they had started to forward their people to the beautiful world of Mauritius. The name Mauritius was formed after the name of Prince of Holland, Mauritz de Nassau. Eventually, on 1710, the Dutch left the country.

The French were the next settlers and colonizers of the country and renamed the country as Ile de France. Developments and changes had been made in the country. In August 1810, the British tried to take over the island but were lost against the French. They came back, and finally conquered the island over the French. Independence of Mauritius was gained on March 12, 1968 by the British within the Commonwealth.