THE RAINBOW POPULATION OF MAURITIUS.
The population of Mauritius counts at nearly 1.3 million inhabitants with a high population density of 628 inhabitants per km2 principally in the vicinities of main cities. The composition of the Mauritian population today is the outcome of more than 400 years of occupation by man. Descendants of English and French colonisers, African or Malagasy slaves, Indian indentured labourers or Chinese shopkeepers form the multicultural society of Mauritius.

Indo-Mauritians represent a majority of 68% of the population with 52% hindus and 16% muslims, the Kreols, of slave descent and mostly Catholic represent 27%, 3% Sino-Mauritians of Chinese origin and about 2% of French descent(Franco-Mauritians). Since 1827, English language is the official  language in Mauritius but it is the French, Creole and the Bhojpuri that is mostly spoken by people on the streets and at home.

Mauritius is thus known as a multi-racial country where you will will find Hindus temples, Tamil Kovils, Christian churches, mosques and Chinese pagodas co-existing peacefully next to each other.
Depending upon the circumstances, you might find some people dressed according to their community traditions, women in saris, in niqabs or in the latest European fashions. In restaurants, you will be able to savour typical Mauritian, Indian or Chinese  cuisine. A multitude of cultural festivals are celebrated throughout the year in a kaleidoscopic display of different cultures related to the respective religion of the country. It is thus very common to see people belonging to a particular religion participating in the celebrations of another religion. The cultural mix of the Mauritian society is the result of a cohabitation of different great religions of the world, namely Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.