Star and Key

A lively history of an extraordinary island and the people who call it home.

Many countries have an interesting tale to tell about their origins and evolution. But few are as exciting and adventurous as that of Mauritius, the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean.

A tiny island of volcanoes, dodos, and lagoons, Mauritius remained untouched by humans until Arab sailors discovered it in the tenth century. Settled by the Portuguese, Dutch, French, and then British, it was passed from one empire to another, each recognising its immense strategic importance, yet all struggled to fully control it.

From a highly prized colonial chess piece to an independent success story, Mauritius has always been a place with outsized influence. This cultural melting-pot is home to peoples of Indian, Chinese, African, and European descent, shaping the country's vibrant literature, music, language, and art, as well as its ethnic tensions, which have always bubbled near the surface.

Olivier Hein's sweeping history uncovers Mauritius's fascinating yet little-known past, exploring the age of pirates, the horrors of indentured labour, the 1810 Franco-British war, the transformations in economy, landscape, and climate during the twenty-first century, and much more. From its geological origins to the present day, this is the story of an island nation quite unlike any other.