Port Louis, Capital city in Mauritius
Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius on the northwestern coast of the island and combines office towers, administrative buildings and a busy harbor quarter. The city extends between the ocean and the mountains, with covered markets, 18th-century colonial structures and modern shopping districts in different neighborhoods.
French colonists established the settlement in 1736 as a naval base and developed it into a junction for trade between Asia and Europe. After the British takeover in 1810, the city remained an administrative center and grew through sugar exports in the 19th century.
The name Port Louis honors King Louis XV of France and recalls the French colonial period, while today the city brings together temples, mosques, churches and pagodas throughout its streets. This religious variety shows itself especially in the neighborhood around the Jummah Mosque and Saint Louis Cathedral, where worshippers of different faiths gather daily.
The area around the central market can get very crowded in the mornings, while the waterfront promenade brings in a cooler breeze from the ocean in the late afternoon. Many streets in the business district lie on flat ground, while residential neighborhoods on the slopes run steeper.
Fort Adelaide on a hill above the city was built in the 1830s but never used for military purposes. The local name Citadelle refers to its original role as a lookout post over the harbor and the lower town.
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