Mahébourg is a small town on the south-eastern coast of the island of

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

, having a population of 15,457 as of 2015.Digest of Demographic Statistics 2015; Available at http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/Pages/POPULATION--And-VITAL-STATISTICS.aspx It is considered the main town of the

Grand Port District Grand Port () is a district of Mauritius, situated in the east of the island. The name means "large port" in French. The district has an area of 260.3 km2 and the estimated population was 112,997, as of 31 December 2015. History Grand Po ...

Overview

Mahébourg is named after

Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais Bertrand-François Mahé, comte de La Bourdonnais (11 February 169910 November 1753) was a French Navy navy officer, officer and colonial administrator who was employed by the Louis XIV's East India Company, French East India Company. Biography ...

, one of the most successful governors of the French colonial period. The town was originally built by the Dutch during their brief period of colonisation of the island. It was close to their landing port, had ample water supply from many rivers and streams and had a scenic view of the large bay area. Mahébourg underwent major development around 1806, during the French colonisation era. The well-planned wide streets in the old section of Mahébourg still bear testimony to this Dutch and French colonial past. After the French chose

Port Louis Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is admi ...

as the main port, Mahébourg declined into a sleepy coastal city. The past is still preserved today in the Historical Naval Museum which also recounts the epic naval battles of the past between the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

and the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. The Frederik Hendrik museum in Vieux Grand Port recounts the history of the early Dutch settlement of the island. Nowadays, Mahébourg is a bustling centre of local trade. The new waterfront complex offers memorable walks along the seaside. The town has a

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

, mark of a developing

tourism industry Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. There is a growing number of small inns in the city itself and the surrounding districts which cater to local and foreign visitors. Mahébourg is well known for its lagoon (the biggest in Mauritius) and for its fishing industry. The town has three primary schools, namely Willoughby Government School, Dupérré Government School and Notre Dame des Anges Roman Catholic Aided (RCA), and four secondary schools: Emmanuel Anquetil State Secondary School, Hamilton College Boys, Hamilton College Girls and Loretto Convent of Mahébourg.

Companies

The largest company and the main employer for the Mahebourg area is Omnicane. Omnicane's sugarcane mill is based at La Baraque which annually produces around 135,000 tonnes of Plantation White Sugar for the refinery, 400,000 tonnes of

bagasse Bagasse ( ) is the dry pulpy fibrous material that remains after crushing sugarcane or sorghum stalks to extract their juice. It is used as a biofuel for the production of heat, energy, and electricity, and in the manufacture of pulp and building ...

for its main cogeneration power plant, and 45,000 tonnes of molasses for the bioethanol distillery. Using energy-saving diffuser technology for juice extraction, Omnicane's sugarcane mill processes 1.3 million tonnes of sugarcane a year and has a daily milling capacity of 8,500 tonnes.

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References

Grand Port District Populated places in Mauritius {{Mauritius-geo-stub

Overview

Companies

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See also

References