 Franco-Mauritians are the descendants of former French colonists/settlers, comprising the largest group of people of European origin of the island.There is a smaller population of people of British descent living in Mauritius, most of whom have been absorbed within the Franco-Mauritian community.There is also a considerable number of white foreign expatriates living in Mauritius, about 8000 are from France and 2000 from South Africa.Along with the French European community, there is a small amount of British expatriates or people of British descent in Mauritius.