Coins And Old Stamps Of Mauritius ( Indian Ocean Island State )

1. OBVERSE - ONE RUPEE - 1950

1.  REVERSE - ONE RUPEE - 1950

2.  OBVERSE - FIVE CENTS - 1959

1.       BRITISH MAURITIUS

2.       BRITISH MAURITIUS

3.        BRITISH MAURITIUS

4.       BRITISH MAURITIUS

5.       BRITISH MAURITIUS

6.        BRITISH MAURITIUS

7.        BRITISH MAURITIUS

8.       BRITISH MAURITIUS

9.          SELF-GOVERNMENT

10.       SELF-GOVERNMENT

11.       SELF-GOVERNMENT

3.  FIVE CENTS - 1999

4.  TWENTY CENTS - 1987

5.  HALF RUPEE - 2002

6.  ONE RUPEE - 1990

7.  FIVE RUPEES - 1992

8.  OBVERSE - TEN RUPEES - 1997

8. REVERSE - TEN RUPEES - MAURITIUS HEAD OF STATE

It was believed that the Arabs were the first to have discovered Mauritius and named the island Dina Arabi.  The Portuguese arrived on the island between 1507 and 1513 but took no interest on the island as they were already established in Goa India, East Indies as well as the Malay state but in 1598, the Dutch named the island as " Prins Maurits " after 5 of their ships stranded on the  island while on the way to Bantam, Indonesia. The Dutch presence on the island led to the extinction of the large Dodo birds  which walked on foot rather than flying and also the Giant Tortoises. After it was abandoned by the Dutch, the French took control in 1715.  The French had to surrender it to the British during the Treaty of Paris after the former lost the Napoleonic War and governed it from 1810 till 1968 before releasing it to the locals for self-rule on 12 March 1968.