Aapravasi Ghat

Aapravasi Ghat
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location	Port Louis District, Mauritius
Criteria	Cultural: (vi)
Reference	1227
Inscription	2006 (30th Session)
Coordinates	20°09′31″S 57°30′11″E / 20.158611°S 57.503056°E
	Location of Aapravasi Ghat in Mauritius

The Immigration Depot is a building complex located in Port Louis, Mauritius, the first British colony to receive indentured, or contracted, labour workforce from many countries.^[1] From 1849 to 1923, half a million Indian indentured labourers passed through the Immigration Depot, to be transported to plantations throughout the British Empire. The large-scale migration of the labourers left an indelible mark on the societies of many former British colonies, with Indians constituting a substantial proportion of their national populations.^[2] In Mauritius alone, 68 percent of the current total population is of Indian ancestry. The Immigration Depot has thus become an important reference point in the history and cultural identity of Mauritius.^[3]^[4]

Unchecked infrastructural development in the mid-20th century means that only the partial remains of three stone buildings from the entire complex have survived.^[5] These are now protected as a national monument, under the Mauritian national heritage legislation.^[6] The Immigration Depot's role in social history was recognized by UNESCO when it was declared a World Heritage Site in 2006.^[7] The site is under the management of the Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund. Conservation efforts are underway to restore the fragile buildings to their 1860s state.^[6] It is one of two World Heritage Sites in Mauritius, along with Le Morne Brabant.

^ Deerpalsingh, Saloni. "An Overview of Indentured Labour Immigration in Mauritius". Global People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) Souvenir Magazine, July 2007. Archived from the original on 2013-08-04. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
^ "The Caribbean" (PDF). High Level Committee on Indian Diaspora. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-06-19. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
^ Cite error: The named reference coolitude was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference piece was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference speech was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference whs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Aapravasi Ghat". World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2012-11-06. Retrieved 11 September 2009.

[overview-1] Deerpalsingh, Saloni. "An Overview of Indentured Labour Immigration in Mauritius". Global People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) Souvenir Magazine, July 2007. Archived from the original on 2013-08-04. Retrieved 11 September 2009.

[carib-2] "The Caribbean" (PDF). High Level Committee on Indian Diaspora. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-06-19. Retrieved 11 September 2009.

[coolitude-3] Cite error: The named reference coolitude was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[piece-4] Cite error: The named reference piece was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[speech-5] Cite error: The named reference speech was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[whs-6] Cite error: The named reference whs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[aapravasi-7] "Aapravasi Ghat". World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2012-11-06. Retrieved 11 September 2009.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]