La Goulette (, it, La Goletta), in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
Halq al-Wadi ( '), is a municipality and the port of
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
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,
Tunisia
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, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
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.
La Goulette is located at around 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. La Goulette is linked to Tunis by the
TGM railway and to Europe by a ferry service.
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
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
, called ''goélette'', ''gulet'', ''goleta'' or ''goletta'' in French, Turkish, Spanish and Italian.
Transit activities
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).
However, the development plan of the port provides for its specialization as a port exclusively reserved for passenger and tourist traffic.
History
The
Kasbah
A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـصَـبَـة, qaṣaba, lit=fortress, , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term ''alca ...
fortress was built in 1535 by
Charles I of Spain
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fro ...
, but was captured by the
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
in 1574. The remains of Hispano-Turkish fortifications lie inland.
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.
See also
*
European enclaves in North Africa before 1830
The European enclaves in North Africa (technically ‘ semi-enclaves’) were towns, fortifications and trading posts on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of western North Africa (sometimes called also "Maghreb"), obtained by various European p ...
*
Tunisian navy (1705-1881)
The Tunisian Armed Forces ( ar, القوات المسلحة التونسية) consist of the Tunisian Army, Air Force and Navy.
As of 2019, Tunisia had armed forces with more than 150,000 active-duty personnel, of which 80,000 were conscripts. ...
*
Luis Fajardo,
attacked this place in 1609
*
Tunisian Italians
Italian Tunisians (or Italians of Tunisia) are Tunisians of Italian descent. Migration and colonization, particularly during the 19th century, led to significant numbers of Italians settling in Tunisia.
Italian presence in Tunisia
The presence ...
References
External links
*
1996 film inspired by pre-1967 religious diversity in area
Communes of Tunisia
Goulette
Populated places in Tunisia
Ports and harbours of the Arab League
Transport in the Arab League
Goulette
{{Tunisia-geo-stub