Souillac (Mauritius)

Souillac
Souillac
Coordinates	20 ° 31 ′  S , 57 ° 32 ′  E Coordinates: 20 ° 31 ′  S , 57 ° 32 ′  E
Basic data
Country	Mauritius
height	34 m
Residents	4411 (2011)
founding	1787
View of the village

Souillac is the capital of the Savanne district and is located near the southernmost point of Mauritius . The place is named after the former governor Vicomte de Souillac , who was in power from 1779 to 1787.

geography

Souillac is located in the southernmost part of the island of Mauritius. It is separated to the west from the village of Surinam , by the river Savanne, and to the east from the village of l'Union , by the river Bain des Naigresses . The main road winds through the village from northeast to west, from the Bain des Naigresses Bridge to the Souillac Suriname Bridge. Although there is no official division of the village, the locals often distinguish the parts of the village as follows: Quarters of Terracine, Combo, Brise de mére, L'église, Pitot, Cité Gris-gris, Morcerllement Gris-gris, EDC and L ' hopital.

Gris Gris beach

population

At the beginning lived in the village almost only fishing families which the nearby port nearest the action took. In the course of time, however, more and more people who worked on the nearby sugar plantations settled . The population rose to over 6000 at that time.

The inhabitants of the place are called Souillacois.

history

In 1787, Vicomte de Souillac decided to create a port for the south and south-west of what was then Isle de France . At the time, the island was an important port of call for French ships traveling to and from India . Strategically, the French also wanted to build a base for the defense of the south coast. The most suitable place to build a harbor was the southernmost point of the island, where a large and deep estuary (formed by the savannah river) prevailed. Since there are only a few coral reefs here , the ships were able to approach the island further. The port would also be used for the transport of agricultural products (including sugar) to Port Louis , as at that time there was no road connected to Port Louis to the southern part of the island.

On January 1, 1787, a royal order assigned the name "Port Souillac" to the place in honor of the Viscount's contribution to the development of the port. Viscount de Souillac left the Isle de France on November 5, 1787.

During the English colonization , the port was mainly used for transporting sugar from the many southern sugar factories to Port Louis, making it the busiest seaport in the south. Its importance began to decline with the introduction of the railroad on the island in 1877. With the development of other modes of transport , the port was used less and less. But by this time a village had already formed at the port. The village was named Souillac.

Worth seeing

Telfair Garden

Telfair Garden is a lookout point near the sea where locals often picnic. The garden was named after the naturalist and landowner Charles Telfair. There are several almond trees in the garden . A hiking trail connects the Telfair garden with the locally known "Lavoir".

Gris Gris

Gris Gris is known for its cliffs . Since there are no corals in this part of the island, the waves break right on the cliffs. The most spectacular part of Gris Gris is the “Roche Qui Pleure”, where the constant pounding of the waves against the flanks of the cliff gives the impression that the cliff is crying. The place is very popular with tourists.

Batelage

Batelage is the old port of Souillac. The embarkation has been renovated to be used as a dock for local fishermen . The building next to the port, which was originally used to hold sugar and other products that were about to be shipped, has also been renovated. It is now used as the village hall for the village council. Another part of the building is used as a station for the National Coast Guard of Mauritius and the last part of the building is now a restaurant called "Le Batelage".

La Nef

La Nef is now a museum and the former home of the Mauritian poet Robert Edward Hart.

Rochester case

The Rochester case is a waterfall in the Savannah River. It is known for its strange, rectangular flanks.

The waterfall is about 2.5 km from the village. The water falls from a height of 10 m.

The Rochester case

Web links

Commons : Souillac  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mauritius: Districts, Major Towns & Villages - Population Statistics in Maps and Charts. Retrieved August 28, 2017 . 
2. ↑ souillac jumelage accueil. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on February 1, 2008 ; Retrieved June 6, 2006 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.