Mauritius is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean. Mauritius is now considered a benchmark of luxury along with the Maldives and Seychelles – the pristine sandy beaches, blue lagoon water and fresh fruits enchant crowds of tourists every year.
There are three official languages: English, French, Mauritian, and Creole.
This is what the modern flag of Mauritius looks like:
History of the flag
From 1638 to 1710, the Republic went under the Dutch banner, a tricolor red, white, and blue with the monogram of the East India Company.
During the 1710s and 1800s, when Mauritius was under French domination and bore the name Ile-de-France, there was the flag of the Bourbon dynasty. The white cloth was decorated with many golden lilies, with a blue shield in the center with three larger lilies in the middle and two angels at the edges. The flag was decorated with the orders of the Holy Spirit and St. Michael.
After the Great French Revolution, the Republic was under the banner of France.
In the early 1800s until 1967 Mauritius belonged to the British Colony.
From 1810 to 1869. The Republic sailed under the flag of Union Jack.
From 1869 to 1906, a white circle with the official coat of arms of Mauritius in force at the time was displayed on the dark blue cloth of Britain in the right corner.
From 1906 to 1923, the coat of arms was changed, so the flag of Britain has already been put on the corrected version.
After 1923 the coat of arms was changed again, and until 1967 the latter version was used until the adoption of its own flag.
In 1967, the flag of Mauritius was designed by the British House of Heraldry based on the national coat of arms. It was first hoisted on March 12, 1968, when Britain declared Mauritius independent.
The designer of the cloth, Guruditt Moher, was an elementary school teacher by profession.
The banner is characterized, as in many African countries, by a riot of colors and colors. The uncomplicated composition appeared only in the 20th century, and before that the country was represented only by colonial flags.
Throughout its existence, Mauritius has used about 8 variants of the flag.
Description of the flag of Mauritius
Four equal horizontal bars with no additional images.
Flag colors
From top to bottom – red, blue, yellow, green.
Meaning of colors and flag symbol
- Red – blood spilled in the struggle for independence and freedom;
- Blue – Indian Ocean, lagoons;
- Yellow – interpreted as a “golden ray of freedom”;
- Green – vegetation, agriculture of the Republic of Mauritius.
Other Flags
Interestingly, in addition to the national, other variants of the cloth are also used:
- Queen’s Standard (1968-1991)
- Commercial. On the red background is the official flag of the Republic, on the right – the coat of arms in a white circle;
- Government. Identical to the commercial one with one substitution – blue instead of red;
- Military – naval. In the center of the cloth there is an anchor and a key wrapped in a green rope. This picture clearly conveys the meaning of the coat of arms of the country “Star and Key of the Indian Ocean”. In this version, the red and blue stripes are narrow in width and interpreted in their own way. Blue is the ocean, red is energy and life, and green is nature.
General information about Mauritius
| Official language | no;
In the official sphere – English and French, The main language of communication is Mauritian Creole. |
| Capital | Port Louis |
| Territory | 2 040 km2 |
| Population | 1 295 789 people |
| Currency | Mauritius rupee |
| Phone Code | +230 |
