Curepipe () also known as ''La Ville-Lumière'' (The City of Light), is a town in
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...
, located in the
Plaines Wilhems District
Plaines Wilhems () is a district of Mauritius. It is the most populous district, with its population estimated at 366,506 as the end of 2018. The district is mainly urban; it consists of four towns, the village of Midlands and part of two othe ...
, the eastern part also lies in the
Moka District. The town is administered by the
Municipal Council of Curepipe. Curepipe lies at a higher elevation, often referred to as the "Central Plateau". According to the census made by
Statistics Mauritius
Statistics Mauritius formerly known as the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is the national statistical agency of Mauritius. It operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and is responsible for all statistical act ...
in 2018, the population of the town was at 78,618.
Etymology
The town's name, Curepipe, is said to be originated from the French ''curer sa pipe'', which translates to "cleaning his/her pipe". There are several theories by historians as to the naming of the city. Some historians believe that the name was given as travellers and soldiers from the 19th century often travelled from
Port Louis
Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's ...
and Grand Port (now
Mahébourg
Mahébourg is a small town on the south-eastern coast of the island of Mauritius, having a population of 15,457 as of 2015.Digest of Demographic Statistics 2015; Available at http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/Pages/POPULATION--And-VITAL-STAT ...
) to refill their pipes in Curepipe. Other historians believe that the name was given after a late landowner during the 18th century.
Geography
The town officially covers an area of . It is located in the Plaine Wilhems district on the central plateau of Mauritius at an altitude of 561 meters. Of the larger towns of the island's central plateau, Curepipe is the most southern and also the highest. As a consequence of its height, Curepipe is known for its relatively cool and rainy climate.
Politics
Curepipe is managed by a council, which is democratically elected by its citizens. The council is headed by the Mayor and is principally responsible for local policy making. The current Mayor is Mr. Hans Berty Margueritte. The town's administration on the other hand is responsible for the implementation of these policies as well as the day-to-day management of the council's activities. The current administrative head is Mrs Jugroop
Curepipe's historic town hall was actually originally situated in Moka, and the whole building was moved to Curepipe in 1903.
For the
general elections the town is classified as the No 17 constituency known as ''Curepipe and Midlands''.
Demographics
According to the census made by
Statistics Mauritius
Statistics Mauritius formerly known as the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is the national statistical agency of Mauritius. It operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and is responsible for all statistical act ...
in 2018, the population of the town was at 78,692.
The primary spoken language is
Mauritian Creole
Mauritian Creole or Morisien (formerly Morisyen) ( mfe, kreol morisien, links=no ) is a French-based creole language spoken in Mauritius. English words are included in the standardized version of the language. In addition, the slaves and in ...
, though French predominates in more formal situations.
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, na ...
, Bhojpuri, Hindi, Telugu, Urdu, Mandarin and Hakka Chinese are also spoken as second or third language mostly in religious activities. The council's official language is English.
Religion
According to the 2012 census conducted by
Statistics Mauritius
Statistics Mauritius formerly known as the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is the national statistical agency of Mauritius. It operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and is responsible for all statistical act ...
, Christianity is the most prevalently practised religion in Curepipe (48.4%) (Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 1.3%, Other Christian 8%), followed by Hinduism (37.7%) and Islam (13.9%)
Economic activities
The town hosts several textile factories, a diamond processing industry and a range of jewelry businesses. In addition, handicraft shops, restaurants and shopping centres add to the commercial mix of the town. The relatively affluent suburbs are also home to a great deal of business activity.
Sustainable development
The town council is acutely aware of the need to bring principles of sustainability into the town's economic development. Prominent projects include the segregation of waste, judicious use of water, parking problems, the encouraging of public transport, the promotion of the SSR
Curepipe Botanic Gardens and working towards minimizing the town's
carbon footprint
A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, place or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Greenhouse gases, including the carbon-containing gases carbo ...
. In 2011 the town joined
ICLEI
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (or simply ICLEI) is an international non-governmental organization that promotes sustainable development. ICLEI provides technical consulting to local governments to meet sustainability objectives.
...
- Local Governments for Sustainability.
Recently, the council embarked on a project nicknamed "For a Greener Curepipe" in collaboration with Gender Links Mauritius, in order to spur the growing environmental interest of Curepipe's citizens. Tree planting, backyard composting and food growing was encouraged, and a range of community organisations from schools to women's groups were involved.
Sensitization programmes are also underway in collaboration with the Central Water Authority of Mauritius, towards encouraging a more judicious management of the town's water resources.
Tourism
Curepipe, though inland from the main coastal tourist areas of Mauritius, is nonetheless a tourist destination. Some of the more popular attractions include:
*
Curepipe Botanic Gardens
*
Trou aux Cerfs Crater
*
Monvert Nature Park
*
Sainte Therese Church
*
Carnegie Library of Curepipe
Carnegie may refer to:
People
*Carnegie (surname), including a list of people with the name
*Clan Carnegie, a lowland Scottish clan
Institutions Named for Andrew Carnegie
* Carnegie Building (Troy, New York), on the campus of Rensselaer Polyte ...
* The old Town Hall
*
Domaine des Aubineaux
* The Basilica of Sainte Helene
* La Sabloniere
*
Casino de Maurice
*
St. Joseph's College (National Heritage)
*
Royal College Curepipe
The Royal College Curepipe (commonly known as RCC) is a public secondary school with high admission standards in Curepipe, Mauritius. Since 1791 it has been regarded as one of the most prestigious secondary schools in Mauritius.
In the past, ...
(National Heritage)
Education
Curepipe is home to various secondary schools which include the Ambassador College, Floreal SSS,
Curepipe College, Dar-ul-Maarif Secondary School, Doha Secondary School, Dunputh Lallah SSS, Forest Side SSS Boys, Forest Side SSS Girls, Full Day School, Hindu Girls College, Imperial College, Loreto College Curepipe,
Lycee Labourdonnais,
Home page
Lycée La Bourdonnais
Lycée La Bourdonnais (LLB) is a French international school in Curepipe
Curepipe () also known as ''La Ville-Lumière'' (The City of Light), is a town in Mauritius, located in the Plaines Wilhems District, the eastern part also lies in the Mok ...
. Retrieved on May 4, 2015. "Rue Rochecouste - Forest Side - Curepipe - MAURICE" Mauricia Institute, Mauritius College Boys, Mauritius College Girls, Notre Dame College, Ocep College, Presidency College Boys, Presidency College Girls, Renaissance College, St Patrick's College, Royal College Curepipe
The Royal College Curepipe (commonly known as RCC) is a public secondary school with high admission standards in Curepipe, Mauritius. Since 1791 it has been regarded as one of the most prestigious secondary schools in Mauritius.
In the past, ...
and St. Joseph's College.
Sports
The town is home to the Stade George V
New George V Stadium is a football stadium in Curepipe, Mauritius. The stadium holds 6,500 people.
History
The construction of the George V Stadium started in 1954 and the stadium was ready in 1955.http://www.mauritiusfootball.com/mf-history.p ...
, the teams of the town are the Curepipe Starlight SC
Curepipe Starlight Sports Club is a Mauritian football club based in Curepipe. They play in the Mauritian League, the top division in Mauritian football.
They won the league for the first time in 2007 and thus qualified for the CAF Champions Leag ...
and the current champions Cercle de Joachim, they currently play in the National First Division for the 2015–2016 season.
Suburbs
The town of Curepipe is divided into different regions.
* Allée Brillant
* Résidence Atlee
* Couvent Lorette
* Curepipe Road
* Eau-Coulée
* Engrais-Cathan
* Engrais-Martial
* Floréal
* Forest-Side
* Malherbes
* Wooton
* Camp Caval
* Cité Joachim
* Cité St-Luc
* Cité Loyseau
* Mangalkhan
* Robinson
* Les Casernes
* Route du Jardin
* La Brasserie
* Camp Pierrot
* Cité Anoska
Twin towns – sister cities
Curepipe is twinned with:
* Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo (, , ; la, Castrum Gandulphi), colloquially just Castello in the Castelli Romani dialects, is a town located southeast of Rome in the Lazio region of Italy. Occupying a height on the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Albano, Castel G ...
, Italy
See also
* List of places in Mauritius
This is a list of populated places in Mauritius and Agaléga.
Mauritius
Agaléga
See also
* Outer islands of Mauritius
* Districts of Mauritius
The Districts of the Republic of Mauritius are the second-level administrative divis ...
References
{{Authority control
Plaines Wilhems District
Moka District