Port Louis

From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change

Coordinates: 20°10′S 57°31′E
Port Louis
View of Port Louis and harbour looking west from the Citadel.
District of Port Louis
Country	Mauritius
District	Port Louis District
History
Founded	1735
Government
- Mayor	Reza Issack
Population
- City (2003)	147,688
- Density	3458.73/km² (8828.58/sq mi)
Time zone	MUT (UTC+4)
Website: mpl.intnet.mu/home.htm

Port Louis is the capital city of the n country of Mauritius. The city is a port on the Indian Ocean. It is the largest city and main port of the country. Port Louis is located in the Port Louis District. The city has a population of 147,688 people.

1 History
2 Things to see
3 Economy
4 Demographics
5 References
6 Other websites

[change] History

Port Louis was founded by the French around 1735. It was used as a place to supply food for their ships travelling around the Cape of Good Hope. The city was named in honour of King Louis XV. The first Governor was Count Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais.

[change] Things to see

The Port Louis theatre from 1900 to 1910.

Port Louis has many historic and colonial buildings. One of them is a fortification named Fort Adelaide or La Citadelle. It was built by the British in 1835. Most of the city's architecture can be seen from La Citadelle. Port Louis is surrounded by a mountain range, called the Port Louis Moka Range. Other famous spots are the Police Barracks known as Les Casernes and the Port Louis Waterfront.

Other things to see in the city 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.

[change] Economy

The main part of the economy of Port Loius is its port. The port handles all of the international trade for the country. Clothing and textiles are the major things manufactured in the city. Chemicals, plastics, and pharmaceuticals are also made there. Tourism is also important.

Port Louis is the second most important financial center in Africa after Johannesburg. It is the city with the highest per capita income in Africa.

[change] Demographics

The Citadel of Port Louis.

The population of the city is now largely made up of the descendants of people who were hired for labor from India in the 19th century. Slaves were brought to the country by the British and French who colonized the island in the 18th century. After the end of slavery in 1835, many Indian and Chinese workers were brought to work the land, and take care of sugar cane, at that time used to make rum.

More than 75 percent of the population are Indians of mixed origins. The rest come from Africa with a small amount of with Chinese and Eurasian ancestry.

[change] References

Malcolm de Chazal, Petrusmok, The Standard Printing Est., 1951, La Table Ovale, 1979.
Marie-Thérèse Humbert , La montagne des signaux, Paris : Stock, 1994
Khal Torabully, Kot sa parol la - Rôde parole, poésie en créole et français, éditions Le Printemps, 1996, Maurice.