Grand Port District – Site of the first Dutch landing and the 1810 naval battle
Grand Port takes its name from the village of Old Grand Port, which saw the first Dutch landing and the first port on Mauritius. The town of Mahébourg, on the shores of Grand Port Bay, was built by the Dutch and later taken over by the French, and remains a reminder of the island's colonial past. In 1810, near the Île de la Passe, a French squadron won a naval victory over a British squadron at the Battle of Grand Port – the only French naval victory inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe, though the island passed to Britain soon after.
Today the district has around 113,000 inhabitants. Do you have stories or photos from Grand Port? Share them with our community!