View source for Outer Islands of Mauritius

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{{Politics of Mauritius}}
	
The '''Outer Islands of Mauritius''' ({{Langx|fr|Îles éparses de Maurice}}) is the first-level [[administrative division]]s of [[Mauritius]] and consists of several outlying islands.<ref name="gu">{{cite journal|url=http://www.govmu.org/English/ExploreMauritius/Geography-People/Pages/GeographyPeople/Location.aspx|title=Location – The territory of Mauritius|author=Government of Mauritius|archive-date=27 March 2023|access-date=5 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327103512/http://www.govmu.org/English/ExploreMauritius/Geography-People/Pages/GeographyPeople/Location.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Outer Islands of Mauritius are managed ''under the aegis'' of the [[Prime Minister of Mauritius]] through Prime Minister's Office<ref>{{cite web|url=https://oidc.govmu.org/oidc//|title=Outer Islands Development Corporation ''Under the aegis of the Prime Minister's Office''|website=oidc.govmu.org|access-date=19 May 2024}}</ref> by the  Outer Islands Development Corporation which is the authority empowered under the law to manage the Outer Islands of Mauritius. The Prime Minister is also Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pmo.govmu.org/Pages/My_Cabinet.aspx|title=The Prime Minister of Mauritius : Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications; Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications; Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity|website=pmo.govmu.org|access-date=19 May 2024}}</ref> The [[Constitution of Mauritius]] states that the Republic of Mauritius includes the islands of [[Agaléga]], Mauritius, [[Rodrigues]], [[St. Brandon|Saint Brandon]] ([[Cargados Carajos shoals]]), [[Tromelin Island]], and the [[Chagos Archipelago]] (including [[Diego Garcia]] and other associated islands).<ref name="cmw">{{cite journal|url=http://www.commonwealth-of-nations.org/xstandard/mauritius_country_profile.pdf|title=Mauritius- Country profile|page=1|author=Commonwealth of Nations|author-link=Commonwealth of Nations|year=2011|access-date=12 April 2012}}</ref> The [[Chagos Archipelago]] are set to be returned to Mauritius in 2025, after a long [[Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute|dispute with the United Kingdom]]. Additionally, [[France]] shares a sovereignty claim over [[Tromelin Island]], an uninhabited island between [[Madagascar]] and Mauritius's main island.<ref name="cia.gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mauritius/|title=CIA- The World Factbook|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|access-date=4 January 2012}}</ref>

== Territory ==
[[File:Mauritius (+claim islands).svg|thumb|left|Republic of Mauritius, including islands claimed by the country]]

The total area of the Republic of Mauritius is 2,040 km<sup>2</sup> (excluding the [[Chagos Archipelago]]), making it the [[list of countries and dependencies by area|169th largest country in the world by area]]. Mauritian territory also incorporates the island of [[Rodrigues]], which is situated some 560 kilometers to the east and is 104 km<sup>2</sup> in area.<ref name="gu"/> Rodrigues used to be the country's tenth [[districts of Mauritius|district]], before it gained autonomous status in 2002. The two islands of [[Agaléga]] have a total land area of 2,600 hectares and are situated some 1,000 km to the north of Mauritius. [[St. Brandon|Saint Brandon]] (Cargados Carajos) is situated some 430 km to the north-east of Mauritius; it is an archipelago comprising a number of sand banks, shoals, and islets.<ref name="gu"/> Just off the Mauritian coast lie some 49 tiny uninhabited islands and islets (see: [[Islets of Mauritius]]), some of which are used as natural reserves for the protection of endangered species.

The country's [[exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ) covers about 2.3 million km<sup>2</sup> of the Indian Ocean, including approximately 400,000 km<sup>2</sup> jointly
managed with [[Seychelles]].<ref name="inter">{{cite web|url=https://www.sunibel.com/mauritius/diversified-economy/|title=The diversified economy of Mauritius|date=19 April 2018 |publisher=Sunibel Corporate Services|access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref> Four [[ocean bank|fishing banks]] fall within its EEZ limits: [[Hawkins Bank]], [[Nazareth Bank]], the [[Saya de Malha Bank]], and the [[Soudan Banks]] (including East Soudan Bank). In 2011, the [[United Nations]] endorsed the joint submission of Mauritius and Seychelles to extend their [[extended continental shelf|continental shelf]] of 396,000 km<sup>2</sup> in the [[Mascarene Islands|Mascarene region]] which gives the two countries sovereign right to jointly manage and exploit the [[seabed]] and [[subsoil]] of the joint area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/Depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/submission_musc.htm|title=Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) Outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines:Submissions to the Commission: Joint submission by the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles|publisher=[[United Nations]]|access-date=21 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201105060900.html|title=Mauritius: Commonwealth assists Mauritius, Seychelles in successfully claiming 396,000&nbsp;km of additional seabed|work=AllAfrica|access-date=6 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iucn.org/news_homepage/news_by_date/2011_news_gb/may_2011/?7448/Mauritius-and-Seychelles-to-jointly-manage-extended-continental-shelf|title=Mauritius and Seychelles to jointly manage extended continental shelf|version=6 May 2011|publisher=International Union for Conservation of Nature|access-date=21 March 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514124306/http://www.iucn.org/news_homepage/news_by_date/2011_news_gb/may_2011/?7448%2FMauritius-and-Seychelles-to-jointly-manage-extended-continental-shelf|archive-date=14 May 2012}}</ref>
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==See also==
{{Portal|Africa|<!-- African Union -->|<!-- East Africa -->|Geography|<!-- Indian Ocean -->|<!-- SADC -->}}

* [[Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute]]
* [[Districts of Mauritius]]
* [[Geography of Mauritius]]
* [[ISO 3166-2:MU]]
* [[List of places in Mauritius]]
* [[St. Brandon|Saint Brandon]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://mauritiusassembly.govmu.org/English/questions/Documents/ans2010/pnqans18jan10.pdf Chagos Archipelago and Tromelin Island – Mauritius Sovereignty (National Assembly of Mauritius)]

{{Mauritius topics}}
{{Mauritius Territories}}
{{Articles on first-level administrative divisions of African countries}}

[[Category:Outer Islands of Mauritius| ]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of Mauritius]]
[[Category:Administrative divisions in Africa|Mauritius 1]]
[[Category:Lists of administrative divisions]]
[[Category:Mauritius geography-related lists]]