Le Morne Cultural Landscape - Mauritius

Website Category: Madagascar and Mauritius

 Area: 3.5 km² 

Inscribed: 2008

Criteria: (iii)  cultural tradition (vi)  association with belief system

Location and Values:  The Le Morne Cultural Landscape protects a remote and rugged mountain peninsula in the scenic southwest corner of Mauritius.  The area was a refuge for runaway slaves during the 18^th and early 19^th centuries.  They occupied caves and built rudimentary settlements, relying on the natural features of the landscape to protect them.  Today, the mountain remains remote and the caves and some paths used by the ‘maroons’ still exist.  But there’s not a lot to see for the casual visitor and the coastal area of the peninsula has been developed by a number of luxury resorts, a far cry from conditions prevailing at the time of the maroon settlements.

Slideshow of the Le Morne Cultural Landscape:  

Google Earth View:  To view satellite imagery of this site on Google Earth, click here. This opens a new window, so when you are finished, just close the Google Earth page and you will be straight back here to continue browsing other world heritage sites around Africa. You can learn an enormous amount from this kind of ‘bird’s eye view’, so take a few minutes to explore the surroundings by panning in and out, and looking to left and right at high resolution.  Unfortunately the views of Le Morne are rather hazy, but other parts of the Island of Mauritius are a lot clearer so you’ll get a strong sense of ‘context’, understanding how this place is situated within the wider contemporary landscape.

Links to other places in Madagascar and Mauritius: Ambohimanga  I  Aapravasi Ghat  

Other Links:     Official UNESCO Site Details