Prominent scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim was sworn as president of Mauritius on Friday, becoming the first women to hold the ceremonial position in the Indian Ocean island nation. Gurib-Fakim, 56, is the first female president of the island, which gained independence from Britain in 1968 and replaced Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state in 1992. Mauritius is one of the richest -- and least corrupt -- countries in Africa, a middle-income nation of some 1.3 million people with a per capita GDP of just over $9,000 (7,200 euros).