Port Louis, Falkland Islands

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Port Louis is a settlement on northeastern East Falkland. It was established by Louis de Bougainville in 1764 as the first French settlement on the islands, but was then transferred to Spain in 1767 and renamed Port Soledad.

For a time, the town became the Spanish capital of the islands, which they claimed as part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. The Spanish abandoned it in 1811, but the Buenos Aires Government sent new settlers in 1823 and then permanently in 1826. After a fishing rights dispute, the USS Lexington destroyed Port Louis in 1832, which was later condoned by the American ambassador in Buenos Aires, who declared the Falkland Islands free from any power.

Amid the turmoil, the British took over the settlement in 1833 and renamed it Port Louis. In April of that year, Charles Darwin visited on the Beagle. After they transferred the administration to Stanley in 1845, it became the quiet sheep farming settlement it is today, known for its nineteenth century houses, waterfowl and wading birds.

See also

• 1833 invasion of the Falkland Islands

 

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