A name honouring Louis XV
Port Louis takes its name from Louis XV of France. The Mauritius Ports Authority records this royal association in its history of the harbour. The city’s name and the island’s former name, Isle de France, belong to the period of French administration. They describe different places, so finding both on an old map is not a contradiction.
What happened in 1735?
The port authority identifies 1735 as a turning point when Port Louis became the administrative centre and a provisioning stop for French ships. Governor Mahé de La Bourdonnais developed the harbour as a naval base and shipbuilding centre. It is more accurate to describe this as an important phase of development than to imagine an empty shoreline suddenly becoming a city in one year.
Read the name in the streets
Start with the relationship between the waterfront and Place d’Armes. The palm-lined approach towards Government House makes the connection between maritime activity and government easier to picture. View the buildings from public space and read the monuments as evidence of the people colonial authorities chose to commemorate. A royal name explains an official identity, but it does not tell the whole story of the people who built and lived in the city.
A useful question for your visit
When a street or monument catches your attention, ask who named it and whose experience it records. You do not need to solve every inscription during the walk. Photograph a plaque where permitted and return to the question later. Pair the city’s administrative history with a visit to a heritage institution rather than treating governors’ names as a complete account of Mauritius.
Before you go
Was Port Louis named after Louis XIV?
No. The Mauritius Ports Authority identifies Louis XV as the king honoured in the name.
Does 1735 mean nothing existed here before?
No. It is a milestone in the city’s administrative and harbour development, not proof that the place had no earlier history.
