Mauritius: Flag and Facts
Mauritius has a flag of four equal horizontal stripes, red, blue, yellow, and green, from top to bottom.
- Official name
- Republic of Mauritius
- Capital
- Port Louis
- Region
- Eastern Africa
- Population
- 1.3 million (2025)
- Languages
- English, French, Mauritian Creole
- Currency
- Mauritian rupee
- Area
- 2,040 km² (788 sq mi)
- People
- Mauritian
- Calling code
- +230
- Highest point
- Mont Piton 828 m
- Independence
- 12 March 1968 (from the UK)
- National symbols
- dodo bird, earring tree flower (Trochetia boutoniana)
- Borders
- No land borders
About Mauritius
Red means independence, blue the Indian Ocean, yellow the bright future, and green the island's farms and lush plants. Its national symbols include the dodo bird and the earring tree flower.
Arab and European sailors knew about the island by the early 1500s, but nobody lived there until the Dutch set up a colony in 1638, naming it after Prince Maurits van Nassau. The dodo, a flightless bird, vanished quickly once they arrived and became a famous example of extinction. The Dutch left in 1710, and the French came in 1722 to grow sugar cane using enslaved labor. Britain captured the island in 1810 but kept much of the French system, including its legal codes. After slavery ended in 1835, workers from the Indian subcontinent arrived, and their descendants are now the majority. Independence came on 12 March 1968.
Did you know?
- Mont Piton is the highest point on Mauritius at 828 m.
- You could fit Washington, D.C. into Mauritius almost 11 times.
- Independence and Republic Day on 12 March marks events in both 1968 and 1992.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Mauritius
What languages are spoken in Mauritius?
English, French, and Mauritian Creole are all spoken.
What is the capital of Mauritius?
Port Louis is the capital, with about 149,000 people as of 2018.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.