Mauritian - History and Cultural Relations

The ethnic groups that make up Mauritian culture arrived in the following order (dates are approximate) : French and Creoles (1715-1830); British (1814-1900); Indian (1840-1910); Chinese (1900-1950). Economic and cultural links with France were strong until the British takeover in 1814. Culturally, the French influence remains strong, and the descendants of Britons are now Franco-Mauritians. Contacts with India are of increasing importance. Since the 1950s, emigration rates have been high, particularly in the direction of Australia, Canada, France, and Britain. At the time of Mauritian independence in 1968, many Franco-Mauritians settled in South Africa.