Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is near Mah bourg in south- eastern Mauritius, at the opposite end of the island from Port Louis. While there are no direct airport buses, express buses travel between the capital and Mah bourg several times a day, stopping at the airport. Allow yourself at least two hours from Port Louis.
Teaching is performed in english as well as the administration but the press is mainly in french.
Among the oriental languages spoken, hindi is the most common one. The creole has had the function to propagate the popular art, specially in the field of songs, theatre and a little amount in litterature. Arab traders knew of Mauritius as early as the 10th century but never stopped to settle it. Portuguese naval explorers stumbled upon it in the wake of Vasco de Gama's voyage around the Cape of Good Hope in 1498. But the Portuguese have done nothing to influence the island.