La Goulette (French pronunciation: [la ɡulɛt], Italian: La Goletta), in Arabic Halq al-Wadi (حلق الوادي 
Ḥalq el-Wād), 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 / 36.81806°N 10.30500°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 / 36.81806°N 10.30500°ECoordinates: 36°49′5″N 10°18′18″E / 36.81806°N 10.30500°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]
Origin of the nameEdit
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.
Transit activitiesEdit
In addition to its transit and cruise activities, the port of La Goulette also receives ships carrying homogeneous 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]
HistoryEdit
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, known as 'La Petite Sicile'. It was also home to a sizeable Jewish, Italian, and Maltese community.[2]
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Linea, Corsica. "CORSICA linea". www.corsicalinea.com (in French). Retrieved 2021-07-06.
- ^ a b c d "La Goulette | Tunisia". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
- ^ "Goulette – Office de la Marine Marchande et des Ports". Retrieved 2021-07-06.
External linksEdit
Media related to La Goulette at Wikimedia Commons- 1996 film inspired by pre-1967 religious diversity in area
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