Port-Gentil
Port-Gentil
Mandji | |
---|---|
Bendje Department | |
Population (2013 census) | |
• Total | 136,462 |
Port-Gentil (French pronunciation:
History
In 1473, the Portuguese navigator Lopo Gonçalves sailed near Cape Lopez.
The town was named after the French colonial administrator
The city was the location of the exile of Moroccan nationalist leader Allal al-Fassi who resided in the city between 1937 and 1946.
A 1947 population of 4,500 grew to 21,000 by 1960. An oil refinery was established by SOGARA in the 1960s, with natural gas added in 1968.
The town is now known for its
City districts
The city centre lies next to the harbour on the Port-Gentil Bay seaside. Hotels, banks, shops, and supermarkets (such as the Casino and Cecado brands) and the
Climate
The
The highest recorded temperature was 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) on 26 February 2016; the lowest recorded temperature was 13.2 °C (55.8 °F) on 1 August 1953.[2]
Climate data for Port-Gentil (1961–1990, extremes 1950–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 32.6 (90.7) |
38.0 (100.4) |
34.6 (94.3) |
33.7 (92.7) |
33.2 (91.8) |
33.2 (91.8) |
30.8 (87.4) |
33.1 (91.6) |
33.3 (91.9) |
33.0 (91.4) |
34.0 (93.2) |
35.0 (95.0) |
38.0 (100.4) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.5 (85.1) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.3 (86.5) |
30.0 (86.0) |
29.0 (84.2) |
26.7 (80.1) |
25.9 (78.6) |
27.4 (81.3) |
27.7 (81.9) |
28.3 (82.9) |
28.6 (83.5) |
29.0 (84.2) |
28.5 (83.3) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.9 (80.4) |
27.3 (81.1) |
27.3 (81.1) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.6 (79.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
23.5 (74.3) |
24.7 (76.5) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.0 (78.8) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.2 (75.6) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.1 (75.4) |
22.0 (71.6) |
21.1 (70.0) |
21.9 (71.4) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.5 (74.3) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.3 (73.9) |
Record low °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) |
19.4 (66.9) |
19.5 (67.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
19.0 (66.2) |
16.4 (61.5) |
16.0 (60.8) |
13.2 (55.8) |
18.2 (64.8) |
19.5 (67.1) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.2 (64.8) |
13.2 (55.8) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 247.8 (9.76) |
177.8 (7.00) |
266.8 (10.50) |
299.3 (11.78) |
150.6 (5.93) |
11.5 (0.45) |
3.4 (0.13) |
5.0 (0.20) |
31.8 (1.25) |
179.9 (7.08) |
352.2 (13.87) |
227.1 (8.94) |
1,953.2 (76.90) |
Average precipitation days | 14.8 | 12.7 | 16.4 | 15.5 | 10.2 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 3.4 | 9.0 | 17.4 | 19.6 | 13.9 | 134.3 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
84 | 84 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 82 | 84 | 86 | 84 | 84 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 150.4 | 160.8 | 154.5 | 151.5 | 147.8 | 156.3 | 163.1 | 135.3 | 125.7 | 116.1 | 115.1 | 147.2 | 1,723.8 |
Source 1: NOAA[3] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[2] |
Transportation
The city has an airport, Port-Gentil International Airport, serving as the main channel of transportation with the world. Regular flights connect it with Libreville, capital of Gabon.
Port-Gentil is connected to the mainland by a series of roads and bridges, stretching 93 km southwards along the coast to Omboué. The project was funded by a loan from the Export–Import Bank of China and constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation and GAUFF Engineering.[4]
The limited number of paved roads within the city are poorly maintained. The roads are paved in the inner city up to the outskirts of the new residential districts in N'Tchengue, where sandy paths with frequent potholes prevail. Traffic jams are common in road junctions such as the Carrefour Tobia or Léon Mba, close to the downtown area. There are plenty of shared taxi services for which the price of a drive is negotiable, starting usually at 400
Healthcare
Hospitals within Port-Gentil include:
* Clinique Mandji, located in the Littoral district on the Route de la Sobraga,
* Clinique du Littoral, located on the Boulevard du Gouverneur Pélieu,
* Centre du Traitement Ambulatoire on the road to N'Tchengue.
Education
Schools include:
- École Mixte Port-Gentil or École publique conventionnée de Port-Gentil[5][6]
- École primaire Léopold Sédar Senghor (French primary school)[7]
- Lycée Français Victor Hugo de Port-Gentil (French secondary school)
Places of worship
Among the
Notable residents
- Stéphane Lasme, professional basketball player
- Alexander N'Doumbou, professional footballer
Gallery
-
Main street
-
Street
-
Beach
-
Fiftieth anniversary monument
References
- ^ Britannica, Port-Gentil, britannica.com, USA, accessed on June 30, 2019
- ^ a b "Station Port Gentil" (in French). Meteo Climat. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ "Port-Gentil Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ "Project ID: 73174". AidData. College of William & Mary. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
- ^ Home page (Archive). École Mixte Port-Gentil. Retrieved on May 3, 2015.
- AEFE. Retrieved on May 3, 2015.
- ^ "Accueil" (Archive). École primaire Léopold Sédar Senghor. Retrieved on May 3, 2015.
- ^ Britannica, Gabon, britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019
Sources
- David E. Gardinier, Historical Dictionary of Gabon, 2nd ed. (The Scarecrow Press, 1994) p. 275–276
- Port Gentil - the world's most expensive city, Time Magazine online, Mar 16 2007