As the poet said "Mauritius is one of the last places on earth where man can keep a sense of nature, freedom, light whilst being able to escape from himself".

World renowned for being home to the now extinct Dodo, the setting for the hugely popular tragically romantic novel Paul & Virginia and the country of origin of six of the ten rarest philatelic jewels including the most valuable of all : the Bordeaux Cover, Mauritius is not just an anonymous island speck tucked at the bottom end of the southern Indian Ocean, it is steeped in history as a former pivotal link in the opening and conquest of the trade route to the riches of the Indies, before the opening of the Suez Canal.

Take a look at the oldest World Map, dated 1502, where Mauritius already appears, albeit under the Arabic name of Dina Robin, you will find a mere piece of the east coast of America and certainly no Australia. The Arabs discovered this island in the 9th century and used it as a shelter and a means of supply in fresh meat and water. They also discovered natural ambergris on the shores used it in the manufacture of their perfumes. The Portuguese, having discovered the secrets of Arab navigators, rounded the Cape and followed their predecessors. They landed on the island in 1511 and named it Islo do Cirne or Swan Island. They did not build any permanent settlement there.

In 1638 the Dutch built the first colony on the island. They gave it the name of Mauritius after their ruler, Prince Maurice of Nassau. The island soon became a thriving trading port. Spices and Ebony timber were shipped to Europe. It was an ideal stopover linking the other Dutch colonies of the Cape of Good Hope and Batavia (Indonesia). They would stop in Mauritius and then descend to the 40th parallel to sail along with the winds of the Roaring Forties before sailing north to Batavia.

During that time Abel Tasman, left Mauritius to initially sail along the same route but with instructions to keep sailing eastwards instead of going north. This is how he discovered the mountain peaks of Tasmania not realising that mainland Australia lay beyond. He did discover New Zealand, though.

The cultivation of sugar cane was started by the Dutch and has since grown to become the backbone of the economy to be replaced only lately by tourism. It was also during the Dutch occupation that the Dodo, an ungainly flightless bird that laid its eggs on the ground met extinction. They left the island in 1658.

The French arrived in the island in 1718. They renamed it Isle de France and set about turning it into an important colony that was to become a thorn in the sides of the British. The French naval vessels and those of corsairs in their employ engaged the mighty British Navy in raging battles for the control of trade with the East Indies.

The French established Pamplemousses Gardens, a world-class botanical garden that is still there to enjoy and admire. It was during that time that the novel Paul & Virginie, based upon the story of a tragic shipwreck romance, found world renown as it stayed on the bestseller list in Europe for many decades. Even today, people visit Mauritius looking for the original home of Paul and Virginie, unaware that the romantic novel was the creative figment of author Bernardin de Saint Pierre's imagination.

During the French Revolution the ruling elite of the island, being predominantly royalists, declared its independence from France. Trade with neutral countries such as America and Denmark was encouraged as was the corsairs acts of commerce destroying and British blockade busting, which allowed the colony to survive. This lasted four years. In 1803, Napoleon, realising the strategic importance of the island, sent Comte Decaen as governor to take matters in hand.

At about the same time, British naturalist Matthew Flinders, on his way back from chartering the east coast of Australia, dropped anchor in Port Louis. He was accused of being a spy and was placed under house arrest. He stayed in the island for six years. August 1810 was to enter into history as the only naval battle win of Napoleonic forces over the British at the Battle of Grand Port, which is inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe,

Three months later, the British landed in the north and took over the island with relative ease. The Treaty of Paris confirmed British possession of the island four years later. French institutions, including the Napoleonic code of law, were maintained. The French language is still used more widely than English. In fact, Mauritius is the only country in the world where the French language has a faster progression than English.

Thus started a very auspicious era for the island which the British had renamed Mauritius.

With the abolition of slavery in 1833, a new order was established and indentured labourers were brought in from India to work in the sugar-cane fields. They nowadays constitute the majority of the population. Mauritius was the first British colony and the fifth country in the world to design, print and issue its own stamps. No wonder that, of the ten most valuable philatelic items in the world, six, including the most valuable "Bordeaux Cover", are from Mauritius. In 1867 a railway system was introduced.

In 1812 the Mauritius Turf Club became the oldest equestrian club of the Southern Hemisphere and the second oldest in the world, after the Jockey Club of England. The island also boasts to be the fourth country in the world where golf was played. To the original course, at the Gymkhana Club, a number of championship golf courses have been added over the years.

Mauritius achieved its independence from Great Britain in 1968 whilst staying in the Commonwealth. It became a republic in 1992. The Parliamentary system is based upon the Westminster model and as far as legal redress is concerned, an ultimate appeal to the Queen's Privy Council in London is possible. The first Prime Minister, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (1968-1982), presided over the formation of the new nation out of a rich melting pot of cultures and traditions.

Mauritius became a republic in 1992.

New industries, especially textiles and tourism, have flourished. Sugar is no longer the mainstay of the economy. Tourism is growing fast in importance as Mauritius consolidates its position as an upmarket tourist destination.

Apart from the beautiful beaches and natural setting, Mauritius has an undeniable asset: the warmth of its people. The foreigner is welcome here. The style is laid back: "No problem in Mauritius". The air is clean as the next land mass southwards is Antarctica and the air you breathe comes from over there after having whipped up oxygen and soaked in marine flavours over thousand of kilometres.

A geographic crossroads of civilisations, Mauritius is a treasured microcosm of populations and religions that have been united by historical circumstances. They came from France, England, Africa, India and China and whilst remaining, for the most, true to their culture, traditions and celebrations, they respect each other's. Mauritians are of Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist faith. Churches, Hindu and Tamil temples, mosques and pagodas dot the countryside.

The lingua franca is English but everybody speaks French and "creole", a dialect derived from old French. Hindi, Urdu and mandarin are also spoken.

Import Duties have been removed on many items and soon Mauritius will become a wholly Duty-Free island. Thirteen commercial banks, including Barclays Bank, as well as offshore management companies service the country. The Stock Exchange is opened to foreign investment. Mauritius has become a trading platform in Sub-Saharan Africa as a member of the East and Southern Africa Common Market, helped by the America Africa Bill, which provides access without quotas for textile to the United States.