A Chronology of Key Events in Mauritius
10th century – Phoenicians, Malays, Swahili and Arab seamen visit island but do not settle. Island named Dina Robin by Arab mariners. 1498 – Portuguese explorers stumble upon Mauritius in the wake of Vasco da Gama’s voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. 1510 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas visits the island and names it …