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Port Louis

Port Louis, city (1996 est. pop. 135,371), capital of Mauritius, NW Mauritius, a port on the Indian Ocean. It is the nation's largest city and its economic and administrative center. Its economy is dominated by its well-sheltered port, which handles Mauritius's international trade; there are extensive facilities for processing and storing sugar, the main export. Port Louis is connected with the interior of the country by railroads and roads and has an international airport. Manufacturing is dominated by garments and textiles, but also includes chemicals, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. Tourism is important, as are high-tech services. Port Louis was founded in 1735 by Bertrand François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, governor of the French colony on Mauritius (then called Île de France). The population of Port Louis is now largely made up of the descendants of laborers who immigrated from India in the 19th cent. The hill-top Citadel (1838) dominates the city, which is laid out in a rectangular pattern. The Mauritius Institute (1880), which studies the island's flora and fauna and operates a natural history and an art museum, is in Port Louis.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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More on Port Louis from Infoplease:

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  • Suggestions for spelling of encyclopedia/port louis - The Infoplease spelling checker combines spelling help with our dictionary and thesaurus
  • Mauritius - Information on Mauritius — geography, history, politics, government, economy, population statistics, culture, religion, languages, largest cities, as well as a map and the national flag.
  • Mauritius - Information on Mauritius — geography, history, politics, government, economy, population statistics, culture, religion, languages, largest cities, as well as a map and the national flag.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Mauritius and Réunion Political Geography


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GUINEA: Project feasibility study for proposed $2,000,000,000 alumina export terminal and upgrade of commercial port project is tentatively scheduled for completion by October 2003, TRADE & DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (TDA) & LOUIS BERGER GROUP [USA] - Order #: 090302. (WWP-Report on Mining, Metal Making and Conversion)

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The battle for the Chagos archipelago: Mauritius is preparing to go to the International Court of Justice to re-claim its sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago. Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port-Louis.(Mauritius) (African Business)

Farming the riches of the sea: Mauritius has the potential to rapidly develop an aquaculture industry by farming marine and freshwater fish in its lagoons. The island plans to export locally grown fish on a large scale in the coming years, Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port-Louis.(MAURITIUS)(Zablon Karingi Muthaka won the Youth Business International Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 ) (African Business)

Migrant labour underpins industry: Mauritius' booming textiles industry is having to depend more and more heavily on imported labour, mostly from India and China. Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port Louis.(Mauritius) (African Business)

Tourism to lead economic revival: with the price of sugar tumbling and the market for textiles being squeezed, Mauritius is facing a precarious economic future. As Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port-Louis, the island is now looking to tourism to revive its fortunes.(MAURITIUS) (African Business)

BAT closure could hit tobacco industry: BAT's decision to stop manufacturing cigarettes in Mauritius has dealt a severe blow to the island's small tobacco industry. Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port Louis.(MAURITIUS) (African Business)

Sugar loses its sweetness: the sugar industry in Mauritius is facing a huge threat. The European Commission is planning to cut the price it pays for this commodity by more than a third over the next two years. Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port-Louis.(MAURITIUS) (African Business)

Mauritius turns to bagasse to cut power costs: Mauritius is producing an increasing amount of electricity from local renewable resources, such as bagasse, obtained from sugar cane to reduce its reliance on hydro-carbons. Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port-Louis.(ENERGY) (African Business)

Agri-business takes centre stage: thousands of agri-business enterprises are being established in Mauritius. With government support and incentives, these companies are processing and exporting agricultural products to new markets in Europe and Australia. Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port-Louis.(MAURITIUS) (African Business)

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