La Goulette
Place in Tunis Governorate, Tunisia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
La Goulette (French pronunciation: [la ɡulɛt], Italian: La Goletta), in Arabic Halq al-Wadi (حلق الوادي ), is a municipality and the port of Tunis, Tunisia.
La Goulette
حلق الوادي | |
|---|---|
 Panorama of La Goulette | |
  La Goulette Location in Tunisia | |
| Coordinates: 36°49′5″N 10°18′18″E | |
| Country |  Tunisia |
| Governorate | Tunis Governorate |
| Delegation(s) | La Goulette |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Amel Limam (Tahya Tounes) |
| Population (2014) | |
• Total | 45,711 |
| Time zone | UTC1 (CET) |
La Goulette is located at around 36°49′5″N 10°18′18″E on a sandbar between Lake Tūnis and the Gulf of Tunis. The port, located 12km east of Tunis, is the point of convergence of Tunisia's major road and rail networks.[1] La Goulette is linked to Tunis by the TGM railway and to Europe by a ferry service.[2]
The name derives from the "gullet" or "river's throat", a channel where the city is located, and not from the ship type schooner, called goélette, gulet, goleta or goletta in French, Turkish, Spanish and Italian.[citation needed]
In addition to its transit and cruise activities, the port of La Goulette also receives ships carrying cargoes such as cars, bulk cereals. It handles a large portion of the country's imports and much of its exports (principally phosphates, iron ore, and fruits and vegetables).[2]
However, the development plan of the port provides for its specialization as a port exclusively reserved for passenger and tourist traffic.[3]
The kasbah fortress was built in 1535 by Charles I of Spain, but was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1574. The remains of Hispano-Turkish fortifications lie inland.[2]
The port was a popular destination for summer holidays in the 19th century, and La Goulette's Sicilian town quarter was commonly known as la Petite Sicile (Little Sicily). It was also home to a sizeable Jewish, Italian, and Maltese community.[2]
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