Mauritius (Republic of) is an island country in the Indian Ocean. Total area is 2,040 km². Before the opening of the Suez Canal, Mauritius was a strategically important trading centre due to its geographical location on the route from Europe to India and South East Asia. First colonized by France, then by Great Britain, it is now a thriving cosmopolitan country with a highly educated population of about 1.2 million. English and French spoken fluently, besides a number of other languages.