Today Is Not Over Yet

The Settlement of Mauritius

There was a long period of time before settlers finally colonized the island of Mauritius.  Luxury hotel chains now dot the beaches that were once uninhabited.  Sailors from Arabia were seemingly the first to discover the island in the 9th Century, however there were no humans living there and at the time the island was covered in thick forest.  Early in the 16th Century, Portuguese sailors working trade routes to India also landed on the island, but found it uninteresting, and left the island as well, choosing instead to settle along the coasts of Mozambique.  It was not until the end of the 16th Century that permanent residents colonized Mauritius.  It was the commander of a Dutch fleet of ships that claimed the island, landing in a bay that is now Grand Port.  The Dutch remained on Mauritius for just over one hundred years, deciding that it was too hard to survive they left for the Cape of South Africa.  During that time, they hunted the dodo bird to extinction, but had introduced other animals, such as monkeys and deer, as well as the sugar cane. When the Dutch had first settled the island, they also brought slaves with them from Madagascar.  Java criminals were also sent to the island.  Both of these populations remained on the island after the Dutch left for South Africa, living in the mountains.  But it was not long before the country of France took possession, the Dutch left in 1710, and French moved in during 1715.  But again, living on the island at that time was not easy, and the French began leaving just a short fifteen years after they had moved in.  It was not until a British Captain settled there in 1721 that the island truly started to be cultivated and developed.  Oxen were introduced to help with the working of the fields, as well as mango trees, cotton plants, coffee beans and more sugar canes.  By 1744 the industry of sugar was one of the main sources of economy for the island.  Many of the building constructed during that time are still on the island today, as the Governmental Building which is located in the now famous attraction, the Pamplemousses Botanical Gardens.  This island is now a major tourist destination, filled with luxurious hotels along pristine beaches.

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