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A quick timeline of Mauritian history

Key dates in Mauritian history, from the Cantino map (1502) to the Chagos treaty (2025).

Sources checked 2026-103 min

Before colonisation

  • 1502: the so-called "Cantino" map shows the Mascarenes for the first time, under Arabic names; Mauritius appears as Dina Arobi.
  • First half of the 16th century: the Portuguese make the archipelago known in Europe; the name "Mascarenes" comes from Pedro de Mascarenhas. The island remains uninhabited.

The Dutch period

  • September 1598: a Dutch fleet under Wybrand van Warwijck reaches the island, named in honour of Prince Maurice of Nassau.
  • 1598: first written accounts of the dodo.
  • 1638: the VOC builds Fort Frederik Hendrik, at today's Vieux Grand Port.
  • 1639: first enslaved people arrive; Rusa deer introduced.
  • 1642: Abel Tasman calls at the island.
  • 1658: the Dutch abandon the island for the first time.
  • 1662: last confirmed sighting of the dodo.
  • 1664: new Dutch settlement attempt.
  • February 1710: the Dutch leave for good.

Isle de France

  • September 1715: the island is claimed for the King of France and named Isle de France.
  • 1721: the Crown hands the island to the French East India Company.
  • April 1722: the main settlement expedition arrives.
  • 1735-1740: Mahé de La Bourdonnais is governor; Port Louis founded around 1736.
  • 1764: the Company hands the island back to the Crown.
  • 1769: trade, including the slave trade, is opened to all French nationals.
  • 1800: Surcouf, sailing from Port Louis, captures the Kent.

The British period

  • 22-27 August 1810: Battle of Grand Port, a French naval victory.
  • 29 November 1810: British landing at Bain Boeuf.
  • 3 December 1810: French capitulation.
  • 1814: the Treaty of Paris confirms British sovereignty; the island goes back to the name Mauritius.
  • 1834: abolition of slavery passed for the British Empire; on 2 November the Atlas brings the first Indian indentured workers.
  • 1835: abolition takes effect in Mauritius.
  • 1839: end of the apprenticeship system.
  • 1849: the immigration depot (Aapravasi Ghat) is built.
  • 1920: end of the indentured arrival period used by UNESCO (almost half a million in total).
  • 1936: the Mauritius Labour Party is founded.
  • 1965: the United Kingdom separates the Chagos Archipelago.

Independent Mauritius

  • 12 March 1968: independence; Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam becomes Prime Minister.
  • 1970: Export Processing Zones set up.
  • 1983: the Outer Islands Development Corporation is created (Agaléga, St Brandon).
  • 1989: offshore financial centre created.
  • 12 March 1992: Mauritius becomes a republic.
  • 2001: 1 February proclaimed a public holiday in memory of abolition; Rodrigues Regional Assembly Act passed.
  • 2002: Rodrigues becomes autonomous.
  • 2006: Aapravasi Ghat added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
  • 2008: Le Morne Cultural Landscape added to the World Heritage List.
  • 2014: traditional sega inscribed as UNESCO intangible heritage.
  • 2016: Geet-Gawai songs inscribed by UNESCO.
  • 2019: International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the Chagos (25 February).
  • 2022: census: 1,235,260 residents in the Republic.
  • 22 May 2025: UK-Mauritius treaty on the Chagos signed (not in force as of October 2026).

Sources

Ministère de la Culture (France) – Carte « Cantino », 1502archeologie.culture.gouv.frEncyclopædia Universalis – Archipel des Mascareignesuniversalis.frVOCsite – Mauritius (histoire des comptoirs de la VOC)vocsite.nlOxford University Museum of Natural History – The Oxford Dodooumnh.ox.ac.ukCIRAD – Actes de l'atelier fourrages 2002 (J. Sauzier, Mauritius Deer Farming Cooperative)agritrop.cirad.frUNESCO – Dossier de proposition, Le Morne Cultural Landscapewhc.unesco.orgLe Mauricien – R. Boodhoo, « April 1722: The First French Colonist Expedition to Isle de France »lemauricien.comEncyclopaedia Britannica – Bertrand-François Mahé, comte de La Bourdonnaisbritannica.comEncyclopaedia Britannica – Port Louisbritannica.comChemins de mémoire (ministère des Armées) – Robert Surcoufcheminsdememoire.gouv.frEncyclopaedia Britannica – Battle of Grand Portbritannica.comFondation Napoléon – Discours pour le monument du débarquement britannique de 1810 (Bain-Bœuf)napoleon.orgUNESCO – Aapravasi Ghatwhc.unesco.orgLe Mauricien – « 2nd November 1834: The Arrival of the Pioneer Indentured Labourers in Mauritius »lemauricien.comLe Mauricien – S. Peerthum, « Exploring the Meaning of Freedom in Early Post-Emancipation Mauritius »lemauricien.comBlackPast.org – Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (1900-1985)blackpast.orgCNUCED – K. Chikhuri, « Economic diversification: The Mauritian experience » (2022)unctad.orgOuter Islands Development Corporation (gouvernement de Maurice)oidc.govmu.orgLe Mauricien – « Republican Access of Mauritius – 1992 »lemauricien.comUniversité Laval (CEFAN) – Île Rodriguesaxl.cefan.ulaval.caUNESCO – Le Morne Cultural Landscapewhc.unesco.orgUNESCO – Patrimoine culturel immatériel : Mauriceich.unesco.orgCour internationale de Justice – Effets juridiques de la séparation de l'archipel des Chagos de Maurice en 1965icj-cij.orgStatistics Mauritius – 2022 Population Census, Main Resultsstatsmauritius.govmu.orgHouse of Commons Library – International Law and the Chagos Archipelago (oct. 2026)commonslibrary.parliament.uk

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