Everything about Pointe-noire totally explained
» This article is about the city in the Republic of the Congo. For the village in Guadeloupe, see Pointe-Noire, Guadeloupe
Pointe-Noire is the second largest city in the
Republic of the Congo, and a district in the
Kouilou province. It is the main commercial centre of the country and has a population of 663,400 (2005 census). It is situated on a headland between
Pointe-Noire Bay and the
Atlantic Ocean.
Climate
The climate is hot and humid. September and October experience somewhat less rainfall than other months.
Structure
Pointe Noire is divided into four areas:
Economy
Pointe Noire is the essential center of oil industry in
Congo-Brazzaville, one of the main oil producers in
Central Africa. Congolese
oil has been largely exploited by the French company
Elf Aquitaine since its discovery around
1980.
Pointe Noire is also known for its
fishing industry.
Formerly, Pointe Noire was home to a
potash exploitation which led to the construction of a
wharf, currently closed to the public.
Pointe Noire is twinned with the French city of
Le Havre.
Transport
Pointe Noire is home to
Agostinho Neto Airport, one of the most frequented international airports in the country.
Pointe Noire is also the terminus of the
Congo-Ocean Railway, the
railway station being a notable building. Thanks to her growth, the city now includes
Tié-Tié Railway Station and
Loandjili Railway Station, the next railway stations after Pointe Noire terminus.
Pointe Noire has a taxi-bus
network that runs throughout the entire city.
Attractions
Pointe Noire's main attractions are its
beaches, known for
surfing.
History
Pointe Noire's (Black Point) name originated from
Portuguese navigators who saw a block of black rocks on the headland in
1484. From then on, Pointe Noire, called Ponta Negra, became a maritime reference, and then a small fishing village from
1883, after the French signed a treaty with local people,
Loangos.
In
1910, the
French Equatorial Africa (Afrique Equatoriale Francaise (
AEF)) was created, and then-French companies were allowed to exploit the
Middle Congo (modern-day Congo Brazzaville). It soon became necessary to build a railroad which would connect
Brazzaville, the then-terminus of the river navigation on the
Congo River and the
Ubangui River, with the Atlantic coast. As
rapids make it impossible to navigate on the Congo River past Brazzaville, and the coastal railroad terminus site had to allow the construction of a deep-sea authorities chose the site of Punta Negra instead of
Libreville as originally envisaged.
Constructions of the
Congo-Ocean Railway began in
1921, and led to the foundation of Pointe Noire on
22 May,
1922.
Development of the city
In
1927, drinking water became available in the city, which had about 3,000 inhabitants. The airport was built in
1932. In
1934, Governor
Raphael Antonetti inaugurated the Congo-Ocean Railway. The First hospital was built in
1936. In
1942, the
Pointe Noire Harbour welcomed the first ship, and made the city the AEF's
seaport.
In
1950, Pointe Noire had 20,000 inhabitants, and became the capital of the
Middle Congo, while Brazzaville was the
capital city of the AEF. In
1957, the Middle-Congo became the Republic of Congo, although it wasn't still independent. incidents which occurred during
1958 legislative elections led the
Union Démocratique pour la Défense des Interets Africains (UDDIA) [DemocraticUnion for the Defence of African Interests] leaders to transfer the capital to Brazzaville, since Pointe Noire was under the influence of political opposition.
Pointe Noire continued growing, and was the most modern city in
1960, when Congo gained independence. Then, the oil discovery around 1980 re-attracted people and factories (
Elf Aquitaine). The population doubled by 1982, and reached 360,000 in
1994.
Civil wars which occurred in
1997 and
1999 caused the exodus of people living in the surrounding provinces (
Lekoumou,
Niari,
Bouenza,
Pool) towards Pointe Noire whose population is actually reaching 1,000,000 inhabitants.
Further Information
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