Port Louis

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This article is about the capital of Mauritius. For other uses, see Port Louis (disambiguation).
Port Louis
City
Aerial view of Port Louis in evening

Seal
Motto: "CONCORDIA ET PROGRESSIO"
(Latin for "Harmony and progress")
Port Louis
Municipal Council location
Coordinates: 20°9′51.7896″S 57°30′14.7738″E / 20.164386000°S 57.504103833°E / -20.164386000; 57.504103833Coordinates: 20°9′51.7896″S 57°30′14.7738″E / 20.164386000°S 57.504103833°E / -20.164386000; 57.504103833
Country Mauritius Mauritius
Districts Port Louis District
Town 25 August 1966
City 12 December 2011
Government[1]
 • Type Municipality
 • Lord Mayor Aslam Adam Hossenally
 • Deputy Lord Mayor Mrs Marie Christiane Dorine CHUKOWRY
Area
 • Total 46.7 km2 (18.0 sq mi)
Population (2012)[2]
 • Total 148,001
 • Rank 1st in Mauritius
 • Density 2,946.6/km2 (7,632/sq mi)
Time zone MUT (UTC+4)
Website Municipal Council

Port Louis (French pronunciation: ​[pɔʁlwi]) is a city in Mauritius, located in the Port Louis District, the western part also lies in the Rivière Noire District. It is the capital of Mauritius and administered by the Municipal City Council of Port Louis. The city is the country's economic, cultural, political centre and most populous city. According to the census made by Statistics Mauritius in 2012, the population was at 148,001.[2]

History

Port Louis was already in use as a harbor in 1638. In 1735, under French government, it became the administrative center of Mauritius and a major reprovisioning halt for French ships travelling around the Cape of Good Hope. The Port is named in honour of King Louis XV. Count Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais was the founder of Port Louis.

Port Louis in 1883, Île Albatross and Île aux Tonneliers with a roadway in the background

Economy

The economy of the city is mostly dominated by its financial centre, port facilities, tourism and the manufacturing sector which include textiles, chemicals, plastics and pharmaceuticals. Port Louis is home to the biggest port facility in the Indian Ocean region and one of Africa’s major financial centre.[3]

Transportation

Air transportation to the city is provided by SSR International Airport. Port Louis is served by two major bus stations. Victoria Station is used by buses to and from the eastern and southern areas and the Plaines Wilhems district. Immigration Square, also known as Gare du Nord, is a terminus for buses coming from the Northern districts of Pamplemousses and Rivière du Rempart. A number of inter-city buses carry passengers to and from nearby suburbs such as Plaine Verte, Vallée-des-Prêtres and Cassis. To cope with an increase in traffic congestion, the government has proposed a Light rail transit from Curepipe to the city.[4]

Sports

The Champ de Mars Racecourse in Port Louis

One of the most popular event is the Thoroughbred horse races held at the Champ de Mars Racecourse which is the second oldest horse race track in the world. Popular sports include football and volleyball. The Football team of Port Louis is the AS Port-Louis 2000.

Culture

Port-Louis has been an active cultural city attracting painters, poets, sculptors and writers. Marie-Thérèse Humbert wrote her famous novel, La Montagne des Signaux, with Port-Louis in mind. Malcolm de Chazal was a common Mauritian visionary writer and painter who was often seen in the capital, mostly at the central market, Champ de Mars and l'hôtel National. Robert Edouard-Hart, a great poet found in this very active city a source of inspiration. Port-Louis born poet and semiologist Khal Torabully, the foremost poet of indenture and coolitude, recently designed Travellers' Lane at the Jardin de la Compagnie, inaugurated by Navin Ramgoolam, the Mauritian Prime Minister and the Parcours Culturel with aphorisms of Malcolm de Chazal, just facing the famous Théâtre de Port-Louis.

Suburbs

Port Louis is divided into different regions.[5][6]

  • Bell-Village
  • Cassis
  • Champ-de-Mars
  • Cité La Cure
  • Cité Vallijee
  • Grande-Rivière-Nord-Ouest
  • La Tour Koënig
  • Pailles
  • Plaine Lauzun
  • Plaine-Verte
  • Pointe-aux-Sables
  • Roche-Bois
  • Tranquebar
  • Vallée-Pitot
  • Vallée-des-Prêtres

Climate

Port Louis features a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) under Köppen's climate classification. Its wettest months are from December through April where on average 60 mm (2.4 in) (or more) of rain falls during each of these month. The remaining months forms Port Louis' dry season. The city also shows a noticeable range of average temperatures. Port Louis’ coolest temperatures are seen mid-year where average high temperatures are around 24 °C (75 °F). During the height of the wet season, the city sees its highest temperatures where average high temperatures are usually around 30 °C (86 °F)

Climate data for Port Louis
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35
(95)		 33
(91)		 32
(90)		 31
(88)		 29
(84)		 28
(82)		 27
(81)		 27
(81)		 28
(82)		 31
(88)		 33
(91)		 35
(95)		 35
(95)
Average high °C (°F) 31.5
(88.7)		 31.4
(88.5)		 31.5
(88.7)		 30.7
(87.3)		 29.3
(84.7)		 27.6
(81.7)		 26.7
(80.1)		 26.8
(80.2)		 27.7
(81.9)		 28.8
(83.8)		 30.2
(86.4)		 31.1
(88)		 29.44
(85)
Average low °C (°F) 24.1
(75.4)		 24.0
(75.2)		 23.8
(74.8)		 23.0
(73.4)		 21.5
(70.7)		 19.9
(67.8)		 19.3
(66.7)		 19.1
(66.4)		 19.4
(66.9)		 20.4
(68.7)		 21.8
(71.2)		 23.2
(73.8)		 21.63
(70.92)
Record low °C (°F) 17
(63)		 18
(64)		 17
(63)		 14
(57)		 13
(55)		 11
(52)		 11
(52)		 10
(50)		 11
(52)		 13
(55)		 14
(57)		 17
(63)		 10
(50)
Precipitation mm (inches) 131
(5.16)		 160
(6.3)		 83
(3.27)		 87
(3.43)		 48
(1.89)		 24
(0.94)		 18
(0.71)		 19
(0.75)		 17
(0.67)		 15
(0.59)		 24
(0.94)		 85
(3.35)		 711
(28)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 9 10 8 7 6 4 4 5 3 3 3 6 68
Mean monthly sunshine hours 248 226 217 240 248 210 217 217 240 279 270 279 2,891
Source #1: World Meteorological Organization.[7]
Source #2: BBC Weather [8]

See also

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Port Louis is twinned with:

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Port Louis.
  1. ↑ Municipal & District Councils in Mauritius. Government of Mauritius. Retrieved 24 July 2012. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ministry of Finance & Economic Development (2012). ANNUAL DIGEST OF STATISTICS 2012. 31 December. Government of Mauritius. p. 22. Retrieved 20 October 2013. 
  3. ↑ Port of Port Louis. World Port Source. Retrieved 24 July 2012. 
  4. ↑ "Light Rail Transit back on track". Le Defimedia. Retrieved 30 October 2012. 
  5. ↑ Ministry of Local Government and Outer Islands. Local Government Act 2011. Government of Mauritius. pp. 768–770. Retrieved 15 December 2012. 
  6. ↑ (French)Municipales et villageoises : les 6 principaux changements. Le Defimedia. Retrieved 15 December 2012. 
  7. ↑ World Weather Information Service-Port Louis, World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "Average Conditions Port Louis, Mauritius". BBC Weather. Retrieved 29 September 2012. 
  9. ↑ Le Port est jumelé à quatre villes portuaires (French)
  10. ↑ "Ville de la Possession - Jumelages". Ville-lapossession.mobius.re. Retrieved 2014-01-24. 
  11. ↑ "Karachi: Sister-city accord with Port Louis". Dawn Group of Newspapers. 1 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

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