Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Mauritius - City Coat of Arms 1981



0.25 Rupee - Beau-Bassin/ Rose Hill
Rose Hill is the third largest town in Mauritius, and is capital of the Lower Plaines Wilhems. It is a major commercial centre, second only to the capital Port Louis.
Rose Hill came into being at the end of the 18th century when malaria was spreading in Port-Louis. People moved to the higher plains, where the cooler climate kept most mosquitoes away. Rose Hill and Beau Bassin became widely populated during this time.
Today, Beau Bassin/Rose Hill is a busy town in Mauritius. It is by far the largest residential town in Mauritius inhabited by all ethnic groups. Rose Hill consists of a main town which looks like a 'downtown' with different facilities such as shops, libraries, a bus station, banks, and a post office. The main sites of interest are the Plaza (the town hall, which serves as theater and marriage hall), Balfour Gardens and the Cascadelle View Point.

Beau Bassin has one of the better climates in Mauritius, with the cool winds from Moka and the sunny sky of the west, makes it a good or maybe the best town to live in. Not as hot as Port Louis and not as humid as Curepipe, Beau Bassin is the mildest. One of the reasons why fruits and flowers are abundant. As its name implicates, "Beau", French for beautiful and "Bassin" for some sort hollowness or valley.
1.50 Rupee - Curepipe
Curepipe is a town (population 81,600 in 2003) centrally situated in Mauritius, an island country in the southwest Indian Ocean. It is second in size and importance to Port Louis, the capital. The name originates from the practice of settlers coming to the town to refill, or "cure" their pipes. Curepipe is also referred to as "La Ville Lumière" (in English "The Town of Light") since it was the first town in the island to run on electricity.

2.00 Rupee - Quatre-Bornes
Quatre Bornes (which means Four boundary stones in French) is a town in Mauritius, located in the Upper Plaines Wilhems District. The town has a population of 75,967. It is located about 10 miles to the south of Port Louis, in the centre-west part of the island

2.50 Rupee - Vacoas/ Phoenix
Vacoas-Phoenix is one of the five main towns in Mauritius and the largest town of the country. Vacoas-Phoenix is composed of two main towns, Vacoas and Phoenix.

5.00 Rupee - Port Louis
Port Louis (pronounced in French as IPA: [pɔʁlwi]) is the capital of Mauritius. It is the largest city of the country and main port, which borders the Indian Ocean. It is located in the Port Louis District.
Port Louis was already in use as a harbor in 1638. In 1735, under French government, it became the administrative center of Mauritius and a major reprovisioning halt for French ships travelling around the Cape of Good Hope. The Port is named in honour of King Louis XV. The first Governor was Count Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais.

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