Pointe-Noire is the main commercial centre of the country and has a population of 715,334, expanding to well over 1 million when the entire metropolitan area is taken into account.
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17 Facts About Pointe-Noire
2.
Pointe-Noire has a tropical savanna climate under the Koppen climate classification.
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3.
Pointe-Noire receives roughly 1,000 millimetres of precipitation annually.
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4.
Pointe-Noire is a commune divided into six urban districts :.
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5.
Name Pointe-Noire originated with Portuguese navigators who saw a block of black rocks on the headland in 1484.
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6.
In 1942, the Pointe-Noire Harbour welcomed its first ship, and made the city the AEF's seaport.
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7.
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.
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8.
Incidents which occurred during 1958 legislative elections led the leaders of the Democratic Union for the Defence of African Interests to transfer the capital to Brazzaville, since Pointe-Noire was under the influence of the political opposition.
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9.
Pointe-Noire continued growing, and was the most modern city in 1960, when Congo gained independence.
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10.
Civil wars in 1997 and 1999 caused an influx of refugees from the surrounding provinces towards Pointe-Noire, causing the population to climb to over 1 million inhabitants.
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11.
Pointe-Noire is the essential centre of the oil industry of the Republic of Congo, one of the main oil producers in Central Africa.
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12.
Pointe-Noire is known for its fishing industry, which is often at odds with the oil development.
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13.
Formerly, Pointe-Noire was home to a potash exploitation which led to the construction of a wharf, currently closed to the public.
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14.
Pointe-Noire is home to Agostinho-Neto International Airport which as of May 2015 had direct flights to Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Brazzaville, Casablanca, Cotonou, Douala, Kinshasa–N'Djili, Libreville, Lome, Malabo, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Port-Gentil, and Johannesburg–O.
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15.
Pointe-Noire is the terminus of the Congo-Ocean Railway, the railway station being a notable building.
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16.
Pointe-Noire has a taxi-bus network that runs throughout the entire city.
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17.
On 22 June 2010 a train departing from Pointe-Noire derailed resulting in the deaths of at least 50 passengers.
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