Mauritius was created by a volcano. Though Arabs traders reference the island in the 10th century, they did not settle there. Thus, the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas is credited for officially discovering the island in 1505. In 1598, Admiral Wybrandt Van Warwyck settle on the island, christened it “Maurice” after his Dutch ruler. The island begame a suppy base for Dutch sails to java.   For the next two hundred years, the island was settled by the Dutch until 1712, introducing African slaves, Javan deer, wild boar, tobacco and sugar cane production.

The French then settled in Mauritius for another hundred years until 1810. The town was named in honor of King Louis XV, when Captain Dufresne d’Arsel who was the French captain who claimed the island, changed the name   of Mauritius to ‘Ile de France” and renamed the port “Port-North-West” to “Port-Louis”.   The first sugar mill was built around 1730, as well as roads and a hospital. Under the reign of the Mahe de La Bourdonnais, who was governor of “Ile de France”, the city grew and buildings were built surrounding the active Harbor.

In 1814, the island was given to Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris. However, Franco-Mauritians were allowed to speak their language, practice their same religion and keep their sugar plantations. Indian indentured slaves continued to be brought to Mauritius in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

In 1835, slaves were liberated on the island. In 1968, Mauritius gained its independence.