La_Goulette

La Goulette

La Goulette

Place in Tunis Governorate, Tunisia

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.

Quick Facts حلق الوادي, Country ...

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]

Origin of the name

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]

Transit activities

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]

History

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]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Linea, Corsica. "CORSICA linea". www.corsicalinea.com (in French). Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  2. [2]
    "La Goulette | Tunisia". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  3. [3]
    "Goulette – Office de la Marine Marchande et des Ports". Retrieved 2021-07-06.


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