Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius. It is the largest city of the
country and main port, which borders the Indian Ocean. It is located in the
Port Louis District. The population is 147,688 (2003 census).
History
Port Louis was founded by the French around 1735 as a reprovisioning halt
for their ships travelling around the Cape of Good Hope, and was built by
skilled Tamilian craftsmen from India around 1728. The Port is named in
honour of King Louis XV. The first Governor was Count Bertrand-François Mahé
de La Bourdonnais.
Geography
The City of Port Louis is located at 20°10' South, 57°31'30" East (-20.1667,
57.525). Its localities include Plaine Verte, Chinatown, Ward IV, Vallee
Pitot, Tranquebar and city centre. Port Louis is capital of the District of
Port Louis.
Sights
Port Louis has conserved many historic and colonial buildings through the
years. One of them is a fortification named Fort Adelaide or La Citadelle,
built by the British in 1835. The latter dominates the city. From there, one
can observe most of the city's architecture. Port Louis is surrounded by a
mountain range, called the Port Louis Moka Range. Among its most famous
mountains are Le Pouce and Pieter Both which stand about 800 meters from sea
level. One of the most popular attractions is the country's national derby
called Champ de Mars, which is the oldest race course (1812) in the Indian
Ocean and the second oldest in the southern Hemisphere. Other famous
destinations include the Police Barracks known as Les Casernes and the Port
Louis Waterfront.
The Mauritius Institute, dedicated to the study of the island's flora and
fauna, is in Port Louis. Citizens often climb up the Signaux Mountain, which
is a 3-km track that leads to over 300 meters high. From there, one can
appreciate the landscape of the city.
Attractions include the Caudan Waterfront, Port Louis Bazaar, the Mauritian
Chinatown and the old Port Louis theatre. The capital has also three museums
which are: the Mauritius Natural History Museum, the Blue Penny Museum and
the Mauritius Stamp Museum. The biggest and oldest post office in Mauritius
is found near the Caudan Waterfront. Situated in the heart of the city, near
the State Bank Tower, the Place d'Armes is easily recognizable by its tall
palm trees. It is the main entrance to and out of Port Louis.
Port Louis is the busiest city of the country. It faces heavy traffic
congestion as there is only one motorway which leads in and out of the city.
The busiest hours are 8am and 5pm, which roughly correspond to the working
hours for the majority of enterprises. Parking is another big problem the
city faces. The financial centre is also located there, with the Bank of
Mauritius, the Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd and the State Bank of Mauritius
all having their headquarters there.
The busiest street is Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Street, formerly known as
Rue Desforges. It leads directly to the Municipality of Port Louis, the
Jummah Mosque, and Kadafi Square, which is a hot place for local food.
Ornately and colourfully decorated Tamil temples such as the Kaliammen Kovil
and the Tamil temple of Saint-Croix overlook the port.
There is a Jewish cemetery at Saint–Martin from the period (1941-1945) when
the British interned captured immigrants to Mandate Palestine in a detention
camp at Rose Hill. There is also a Chinese Burial ground where elaborate
memorials have been erected. The city morgue at the Kit Lock is located in
the centre of the city.
The skyline of Port Louis has completely changed in the last fifteen years
mainly due to construction booms in the 1990s and 2000s, where many of the
tallest high-rise buildings have been built. The city centre has the tallest
buildings in Mauritius, including a few skyscrapers, which is unusual for a
small island in Africa. Port Louis is currently undergoing a major
construction boom with the extension of the Caudan Waterfront and new towers
Port Louis also harbors some major schools. The Royal College of Port Louis
and the Loreto College of Port Louis forms part of the Star Colleges of
Mauritius. Bell-village SSS, and Port-Louis SSS, and Renganaden Seeneevasen
are also colleges with positive academic achievement.
Horse racing
The Champ de Mars Racecourse is a race track for Thoroughbred horse races located close to the centre of Port Louis founded in 1812
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