City Africa
Port Louis
Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean. Ships come to its harbor.
Port Louis is the capital and largest port of Mauritius, an island country in the Indian Ocean. It was founded around 1736 as a stopping place for ships sailing between Europe and Asia. The 2022 census counted 140,403 people in the town.
Port Louis, capital and largest port of Mauritius (Universalis), was founded around 1736 by Mahé de La Bourdonnais as a port of call on the route round the Cape of Good Hope. Census 3 July 2022: 140,403 in the Town of Port-Louis, the island's largest town (City Population, from Statistics Mauritius).
Photo: Ashok Prabhakaran, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Port Louis
Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius. Mauritius is an island in the Indian Ocean.
Ships bring goods to its port from far away.
Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius, an island country in the Indian Ocean, east of Africa. Universalis calls it the island's largest port. It was founded around 1736 as a place where ships could stop on the long voyage between Europe and Asia.
The census of 3 July 2022 counted 140,403 people in the town, more than in any other town in Mauritius.
Universalis: Port Louis is the capital and largest port of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean; founded around 1736 by the Frenchman Mahé de La Bourdonnais as a port of call for ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope between Asia and Europe. City Population (Statistics Mauritius): Town of Port-Louis 140,403 at the census of 3 July 2022, first among the island's towns (Vacoas/Phoenix 107,433 second); the town's area is 6,132 hectares and reaches into the Black River and Moka districts.
- Country
- Mauritius (capital)
- People in the town (census, 3 July 2022)
- 140,403
- Port
- the island's largest port (Universalis)
- Founded
- around 1736 (Universalis)
Towers between hills and harbor
In this photo, tall towers stand near the sea. Trees and grass grow on the hill in front.
This photo looks over Port Louis from a hillside. Grass and trees fill the front. Behind them, tall towers and many smaller buildings spread toward the harbor and the sea, with a green hill at the left.
Universalis says an old fortress, the Citadel, built in 1838, stands on a hill almost in the middle of the town. By the harbor, the Caudan Waterfront grew from the late 1990s.
Commons: 'Port Louis, Mauritius', by Ashok Prabhakaran, from his Flickr account, CC BY-SA 2.0, license confirmed by FlickreviewR; categories 'Port Louis', 'Skylines', 'Bank of Mauritius Tower'. The file's date is later in the day than its own upload time, so no date is given. Universalis: the town is dominated by a former fortress, the Citadel (1838), on a hill almost in the center; a racecourse lies to the east; from the late 1990s shops, restaurants, leisure places and lodging were built at the marina, the Caudan Waterfront.
- Photo
- Port Louis from a hillside, by Ashok Prabhakaran (no reliable date)
- The Citadel
- an old fortress from 1838 on a hill near the center (Universalis)
- Caudan Waterfront
- shops, restaurants and places to stay by the marina, built from the late 1990s (Universalis)
A stop on the sea route
Long ago, ships stopped at Port Louis on long trips. They sailed between Europe and Asia.
Before the Suez Canal, ships sailing between Europe and Asia had to go all the way around the southern tip of Africa. Universalis says Port Louis was founded around 1736 as a stopping place on that route.
When the Suez Canal opened in 1869, ships could take a shorter way, and the port lost its use. Activity came back later, and the port was modernized in the late 1970s.
Universalis: founded around 1736 by Mahé de La Bourdonnais as a port of call for ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope between Asia and Europe; the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 made the port useless; port activity resumed while the canal was closed (1967–1975), and the facilities were modernized at the end of the 1970s. Near the waterfront, Aapravasi Ghat (UNESCO World Heritage since 2006) was an immigration depot used from 1834 to 1923, where contract workers from India arrived.
- About 1736
- founded by Mahé de La Bourdonnais as a port of call (Universalis)
- 1869
- the Suez Canal opens and fewer ships need the port (Universalis)
- Late 1970s
- the port's facilities are modernized (Universalis)
The island's trading hub
Goods come and go through Port Louis's port. Roads join the city to the rest of the island.
Universalis says Port Louis is linked by road to the rest of Mauritius and is the hub for all the island's imports and exports.
For a long time, sugar was the island's main export. Today industry, especially textiles, and services such as tourism have become more important.
Universalis: connected by road to the rest of Mauritius, the town is the hub for all imports and exports of the island and its dependencies; sugar exports, once the pillar of the economy, have been overtaken in importance by industry (notably textiles) and services (tourism). The University of Mauritius (1965) and the sugar-industry research institute (1953) are at Réduit, south of Port Louis.
- Trade
- the hub for all of the island's imports and exports (Universalis)
- Roads
- linked by road to the rest of Mauritius (Universalis)
- Economy
- sugar exports, once the mainstay, overtaken by industry (textiles) and services (tourism) (Universalis)
Hot, wet summers and dry winters
Port Louis is warm all year. January and February are the rainiest months.
Mauritius is south of the equator, so its summer comes in December to March. The World Meteorological Organization's averages for 1971 to 2000 show highs of 31.5 °C in January and March, and 26.7 °C in July, the coolest month.
Most rain falls in summer: February is the wettest month, with 160 millimeters. From June to November it is much drier, with October getting only 15 millimeters.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Port Louis (Mauritius Meteorological Services; period 1971–2000 as given in the data): mean daily maximum 26.7 °C (Jul) to 31.5 °C (Jan, Mar); mean daily minimum 19.1 °C (Aug) to 24.1 °C (Jan). Precipitation 15 mm (Oct) to 160 mm (Feb); sum of the months 711 mm, of which January to April give 461 mm (65%). Mean days with at least 1 mm: 3 (Sep–Nov) to 10 (Feb).
- Average daily highs (WMO, Port Louis, 1971–2000)
- 26.7 °C (July) to 31.5 °C (January and March)
- Average daily lows (same table)
- 19.1 °C (August) to 24.1 °C (January)
- Rain in a year (twelve months added up)
- about 711 mm
Museums, markets and the waterfront
Port Louis has museums and libraries. People shop and eat by the water.
Universalis lists a natural history museum, an art museum and several libraries in Port Louis, along with schools, publishers and research institutes. At the Caudan Waterfront, by the marina, people visit shops and restaurants.
The town's population has been getting a little smaller: censuses counted 154,257 people in 2000, 149,226 in 2011 and 140,403 in 2022.
Universalis: a natural history museum and an art museum, several libraries, educational institutions, publishing houses, research institutes and administrative buildings; the Caudan Waterfront (shops, restaurants, leisure, lodging) from the end of the 1990s. City Population (censuses): Town of Port-Louis 139,300 (1983), 154,257 (2000), 149,226 (2011), 140,403 (2022), on new boundaries from the Local Government Act 2011. Wikidata: Caudan Waterfront (Q2943077), 0.09 km NW of the city point.
- Culture
- a natural history museum, an art museum and several libraries (Universalis)
- Population
- 154,257 (2000), 149,226 (2011), 140,403 (2022) (City Population)
- Caudan Waterfront
- about 0.1 km northwest of the city's Wikidata point (Wikidata)
Port Louis on the map
Find Africa on the globe. Mauritius is a small island far to its east.
Port Louis lies at about 20.2° south and 57.5° east, on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and Africa.
Measured from the city's center point on Wikidata, the Caudan Waterfront is about 0.1 kilometer northwest, and Aapravasi Ghat about 0.6 kilometer northeast.
Port Louis lies at about 20.16° S, 57.50° E (Wikidata point Q3929; the Natural Earth/sheet point is 0.53 km SSE of it). From the Wikidata point: Caudan Waterfront (Q2943077) 0.09 km NW; Aapravasi Ghat (Q9276) 0.57 km NE. Universalis: the Citadel stands on a hill almost in the center, the racecourse to the east.
- Latitude
- about 20.2° south
- Longitude
- about 57.5° east
- Ocean
- the Indian Ocean (Universalis)
Amazing facts
-
Ships used to stop at Port Louis on their way around Africa!
Universalis says Port Louis was founded as a stopping place for ships sailing around the Cape of Good Hope between Europe and Asia.
Universalis: founded around 1736 as a port of call for ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope; the Suez Canal (1869) made it useless for that route.
-
In Port Louis, July is cooler than January!
Because Mauritius is south of the equator, Port Louis is warmest in January and March and coolest in July.
WMO normals (1971–2000): highest mean maximum 31.5 °C (January, March), lowest 26.7 °C (July).
-
An old fort stands on a hill near the middle of Port Louis!
Universalis says an old fortress called the Citadel, built in 1838, stands on a hill almost in the middle of Port Louis.
Universalis: the town is dominated by a former fortress, the Citadel (1838), on a hill almost in the center.
Words to know
- port of call
- a harbor where ships stop on a long voyage
- canal
- a waterway dug by people for ships or boats
- export
- a product sold and sent to another country
- waterfront
- the part of a town beside a harbor, river or sea
- Southern Hemisphere
- the half of the world south of the equator
- census
- an official count of all the people in a country
Discovery challenge
-
Port Louis is the capital of which island country?
Port Louis is the capital of which island country in the Indian Ocean?
Port Louis, founded around 1736, is the capital of which country?
- Mauritius
- Iceland
- Jamaica
Show the answer
Mauritius
Mauritius!
Mauritius.
Mauritius.
-
Which ocean is around Port Louis?
In which ocean is the island of Mauritius, home of Port Louis?
Port Louis lies on an island in which ocean?
- The Indian Ocean
- The Arctic Ocean
- The Atlantic Ocean
Show the answer
The Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean!
The Indian Ocean.
The Indian Ocean.
-
Which new waterway meant fewer ships stopped at Port Louis?
Which waterway, opened in 1869, gave ships a shorter way between Europe and Asia?
According to Universalis, the opening of which canal in 1869 made Port Louis useless as a port of call?
- The Suez Canal
- The Panama Canal
- The Erie Canal
Show the answer
The Suez Canal
The Suez Canal!
The Suez Canal.
The Suez Canal (1869).
-
Which month is the wettest in Port Louis?
In the World Meteorological Organization's averages, which month is wettest in Port Louis?
WMO normals (1971–2000): which month brings Port Louis its most rain, 160 mm?
- February
- July
- October
Show the answer
February
February!
February, with 160 millimeters.
February (160 mm).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Port Louis on Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
- Explain how the Suez Canal changed sea routes between Europe and Asia.
- Explain why seasons are reversed south of the equator.
- Read a climate table with a wet summer and a dry winter.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why did ships need places to stop on long voyages before canals?
- How might a new canal far away change life in a port town?
- Why might a country move from selling sugar to textiles and tourism?
Try at home or in class
- Route race: on a globe, measure the sea route from Europe to India around Africa and through the Suez Canal with a string.
- Season globe: shine a lamp on a globe to see which half gets more light in January.
- Rain chart: draw Port Louis's monthly rain as bars and color the wet summer months.
Key vocabulary: port of call, canal, export, waterfront, Southern Hemisphere, census
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Port Louis , Encyclopædia Universalis
- Mauritius: Districts, Major Towns & Villages , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from Statistics Mauritius
- Port Louis: climatological information (1971–2000) , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- File:Port Louis, Mauritius.jpg (Ashok Prabhakaran) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.