Port Gentil

Port Gentil

Port-Gentil is a city in western Gabon, on Lopez Island, at the mouth of the navigable Ogooué River, protected by Cape Lopez, which spans in to the Atlantic Ocean. The city was named after the French colonial administrator Emile Gentil, in the year 1900. The main port and industrial center of the country, it is connected by air to Paris and the main West African centers, as well as to several Gabonese towns. The Portuguese navigator Lopo Gonçalves first sailed around Cape Lopez in 1473. By the late 19th century, several trading companies were established here and okoumé wood was also exported. Port-Gentil's commercial and industrial development was stimulated by the discovery of offshore oil at nearby Ozouri and Pointe Clairette in 1956. At Pointe Clairette, an oil port, refinery and workers' school have been built. There is also a sawmill and a significant production of plywood and veneer. Besides okoumé, ebony, kevazingo, and other products from Ndjolé and Lambaréné on the Ogooué River are shipped to Port-Gentil. Other businesses in the city include a brewery, a construction company, a chemical plant, and processing plants for furniture, fish, rice, and palm oil. In May 1990, during anti-government riots, Port-Gentil was severely damaged. Today, the city is known for its hotels and nightlife, and its attractions include Saint Louis Cathedral, zoo, casino, beaches, golf, and local marsh wildlife.