Mauritius History Timeline

900s AD - 1600s

(900s) Arab sailors visited the uninhabited Mauritius and named it Dina Robin
(1507) Portuguese navigator, Diogo Fernandes Pereira, visited the island but did not settle
(1598) The Dutch claimed the uninhabited island and renamed it after their head of state, Maurice - Prince of Orange and Count of Nassau
(1638) Dutch settlers attempted to colonize Mauritius
(1662) The last known sighting of a Dodo bird (species endemic to Mauritius)

1700s

(1710) The Dutch abandoned Mauritius after a second failed attempt at settling the island
(1715) The French East India Company claimed Mauritius and renamed it Ille de France
(1721) French settlement began and Port Louis was founded as a base against the British in India
(1767) Control of the island was transferred to the French government

1800s

(1810) British forces captured Mauritius during the Battle of Grand Port
(1814) Mauritius, along with Seychelles, was ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Paris
(1834) Slavery was abolished
(1835) An indentured labor system was introduced on Mauritius bringing in hundreds of thousands of workers from India
(1866) A malaria epidemic killed more than 40,000 people after an accidental introduction of the Anopheles mosquito to the island

1900s

(1910) The indentured labor system was abolished
(1936) The Mauritian Labor Party (MLP) was founded by Dr. Maurice Cure
(1937) Rioters demanded better economic conditions and participation in government affairs
(1948) A new constitution granted many Indians and Creoles the right to vote
(1957) An internal self-government was introduced
(1958) A new constitution granted all adults over 21 the right to vote
(1959) Seewoosagur Ramgoolam was elected Chief Minister of Mauritius
(1960) Cyclone Carol caused widespread damage and left thousands homeless
(1964) Hindus and Creoles clashed in an ethnic riot
(1968) Mauritius gained independence with Ramgoolam as Prime Minister
(1969) The oppositional Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) was founded by Paul Berenger
(1971) A state of emergency was declared after the union-backed MMM called for a series of strikes, Paul Berenger was arrested
(1979) Cyclone Claudette devastated the island
(1982) Sir Anerood Jugnauth elected prime minister
(1985) Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, known as the Father of the Nation, died
(1989) The Port Louis Stock Exchange opened
(1992) Mauritius was declared an official republic by Prime Minister Jugnauth; MMM member Cassam Uteem was elected president
(1995) Navin Ramgoolam elected prime minister

2000s

(2000) Sir Anerood Jugnauth elected prime minister
(2002) Both the president and vice-president resigned after refusing to sign a controversial anti-terrorism bill; the bill was passed and Karl Hoffman was elected president
(2005) Navin Ramgoolam won the general election and returned as prime minister
(2013) Flash flooding killed 11 people in Port Louis

Mauritius's Information