Mauritius Geography

Mauritius is a volcanic island in the Indian Ocean which measures barely 65km in length and 45km in width in its largest dimensions. It is located 1133 km east of the island of Madagascar towards the southern tip of Africa. At 20° 17'South latitude and 57°33' East longitude, this island is located 325 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn (latitude 23°26'South).

Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Archipelago which is a geological set of volcanic islands of which Reunion Island, Mauritius and Rodrigues Island are the largest.
In Curepipe, the volcano of Trou aux Cerfs, extinct for 25,000 years, is the best example of this volcanic past: at 605m, it dominates the central plateau from 400m to 600m above sea level; its diameter of 300 to 500m, its depth of 100m and its magnificent 360-degree viewpoint over the whole island make it a must-see tourist spot!.

The Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire rises to 828m in the Black-River / Savanne chain to the southwest. The island has two other mountain ranges, that of Port-Louis / Moka which dominates the capital, and that of Grand-Port to the east, as well as a few isolated mountains. Something to delight hikers !
The main summits are: the Pieter Both (823m) surmounted by a rock which recalls the shape of a human head and the Pouce (811m) near Port-Louis; the Guard Corps (720m) near Ebene; Mont Cocotte (779m) and Morne Brabant (555m) to the southwest.

Mauritius has lakes, the largest of which is Mare aux Vacoas which is located at an altitude of 569m, in a crater in the district of Plaine Wilhems, south of Curepipe: its surface area reaches 2.6km2. It serves as the country's main drinking water reservoir with 26 Mm3.
The Grand Bassin lake called Ganga Talao, is located at an altitude of 670m in an isolated crater in the district of Savanne. Sacred place for Hindus who see the reflections of the Ganges there, it gives rise to an annual religious procession in February or March: the Mahashivaratri or Great Night of Shiva.
Other lakes serve as drinking water reservoirs for the different regions of the island such as: La Nicolière (1km2, 5.3 Mm3, 252m, 1929), Piton du Milieu (3 Mm3, 442m, 1952), Midlands (25Mm3, 391m, 1993), La Ferme (11.52Mm3, 145m, 1914), Bagatelle Dam (14 Mm3, 382m, 2019) for example.

Mauritius has a hot and humid tropical climate, dominated by hot winds from the south-east, the trade winds. There are two seasons: winter, from May to October, is wet; summer, from November to April, is hot and drier.
Summer is a season prone to the formation of cyclones in the Indian Ocean: these temporarily influence the local weather, with an intensity that depends on the distance at which the cyclone passes: generally they cause strong winds and rain, more rarely heavy rains; they can also have devastating effects, such as cyclones Hollanda in 1994 (gusts of 220 km / h) or Dina in 2002 (gusts of 280 km / h)
Due to its altitude, the temperature on the central plateau is mechanically 4 to 6 ° C lower than that of the coast. The table below gives an idea of ??the typical temperatures observed during the year :

Day/Night	Coast	Central Plateau
Winter	26°C/18°C	18°C/14°C
Summer	32°C/25°C	26°C/19°C

It rains more often on the east of the island and on its central plateau, because the hot and humid air of the trade winds cools with altitude, condenses and generates clouds and rain on the heights; the dry air that reaches the west coast means that it rains there more rarely.