It is situated in the Indian Ocean around 900 km off Madagasscar. What island are we referring to?

Explanation

Mauritius is an island nation situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean, around 900 km away from Madagascar. The island's number of inhabitants is around 1.3 million and it covers an area of 2040 km2. The capital is called Port Louis. Large parts of the island are covered by green sugar cane plantations on ocre-coloured ground. The Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, French and Brits have all either visited or ruled the island. Mauritius gained its independence from the UK in 1968.