Colonial History

Dinarobin, as it was first know, was discovered in the 10th century. The Dutch were the first settlers who came in 1500s and they left in 1710.Thye had killed all the Dodos in the period, brought in African slaves and introduced sugarcane on the island. 

Dutch settlers landed up here and decided to start killing the flightless Dodo's. Since most current lots of humans have not seen the Dodo, there is still exists an opportunity to get a view of the bird in our midst. The creature that closely resembles the nature of the bird is currently doing you annual performance appraisal and signing on your increment letter.

The French arrived in 1715. They renamed is Ile de France and converted it into a trading base. 

The British gained upper hand in the Indian Ocean. They took over the island  in 1810. The Treaty of Paris, 1814, gave Mauritius and the neighboring islands to the British. In 1835 the slaves were freed and labor was imported from India and China.

Indians arrived here as indentured labor to work in the sugarcane fields. The numbers multiplied (as expected!) and today 50% of Mauritians are 3rd Generation Indians. Gandhiji visited Mauritius in 1901 to push for civil rights. Hinduism now stands as the main religion on Mauritus. Because Hindus are a majority and Mauritius is a democracy, Indians always win control in the elections.

Modern History

 Mauritius was granted independence form the British in 1968. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam was the first prime minister. He stayed in power for 13 years and is looked upon as the father of the nation.