Aapravasi Ghat

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Aapravasi Ghat
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Location	Mauritius
Type	Cultural
Criteria	vi
Reference	1
UNESCO region	Africa
Coordinates	20°09′31″S 57°30′10″E / 20.1585°S 57.5028°E / -20.1585; 57.5028Coordinates: 20°09′31″S 57°30′10″E / 20.1585°S 57.5028°E / -20.1585; 57.5028
Inscription history
Inscription	2006 (30th Session)
Location of Aapravasi Ghat in Mauritius.

The Immigration Depot (Hindi: आप्रवासी घाट Aapravasi Ghat) is a building complex located in Port Louis on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, the first British colony to receive indentured, or contracted, labor workforce from India. 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 laborers left an indelible mark on the societies of many former British colonies, with Indians constituting a substantial proportion of their national populations. 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.

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