Franceville

This article is about the city in Gabon. For other uses, see Franceville (disambiguation).
"Masuku" redirects here. For the TV show, see Masukuman.
Franceville
Masuku
Franceville

Location in Gabon

Coordinates: 1°38′S 13°35′E / 1.633°S 13.583°E / -1.633; 13.583
Country  Gabon
Province Haut-Ogooué Province
Department Mpassa Department
Population (Census 2003)
 • Total 103,840

Franceville is one of the four largest cities in Gabon, with a population of around 56,000 (2010, approx.) people. It lies on the River Mpassa and at the end of the Trans-Gabon Railway and the N3 road. It grew from a village named Masuku when Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza chose it to resettle former slaves and renamed it "Francheville" (meaning "city of the freed" in French) in 1880. The city later came to be called Franceville.

Overview

Franceville was founded by Brazza on June 13, 1880. The former name was Masuku. As time went on, it became known as Franceville.[1]

Features of the town include St Hilaire's Church (built in 1899), a large statue of President Omar Bongo (who was born in Franceville), and a primate medical research institute. The town also has a golf course, while its airport lies 20 km west in Mvengué.

There is a market where numerous items can be purchased, including clothing, fruit and vegetables, electronics, meats, and the market also sells bushmeat, which includes African Rock Python, monkey and local species of animals.

The infrastructure of Franceville is overall of better quality than the rest of the country, most probably because of the city's significance.

There are a few hotels of which the best known is the Hotel Poubara, overlooking the President's holiday home.

Franceville also has many waterfalls. One of the best known is the Poubara Falls, which is co-located with a hydroelectric plant, which provides the area with constant electricity. President of Gabon Omar Bongo was buried in Franceville on June 18, 2009.

Population

The population was 31,183 in 1993.[2] The 2010 population was approximated to be around 56,000 people. Another population number is 42,967,[3] possibly retrieved following the disputed[2] census of 2003 (alternately a 2004 estimate[4]). Another recent estimate gives the population as 75,000.[5]

Climate

Climate data for Franceville
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 29
(85)		 30
(86)		 31
(87)		 31
(87)		 29
(85)		 28
(83)		 27
(81)		 28
(83)		 29
(85)		 29
(85)		 29
(85)		 29
(85)		 29.1
(84.8)
Average low °C (°F) 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 19
(66)		 18
(64)		 18
(65)		 19
(67)		 19
(67)		 19
(67)		 20
(68)		 19.3
(67)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 160
(6.3)		 191
(7.5)		 216
(8.5)		 211
(8.3)		 206
(8.1)		 33
(1.3)		 8
(0.3)		 20
(0.8)		 107
(4.2)		 264
(10.4)		 250
(10)		 193
(7.6)		 1,859
(73.3)
Source: Weatherbase [6]

Industry

Franceville has a cement works.

Education

Schools include:

Notable residents

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Franceville is twinned with:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Gabon : Franceville s'apprête à célébrer son 125ème anniversaire", Xinhua, May 21, 2005 (French).
  2. 1 2 Gabon: Provinces, Major Cities & Localities. Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
  3. ↑ Franceville. GeoNames. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
  4. ↑ City Data for Masuku. Wolfram|Alpha. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
  5. ↑ Leclerc, Jacques: "Gabon". L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
  6. ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Franceville, Gabon". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  7. ↑ "École publique conventionnée de Franceville." AEFE. Retrieved on May 3, 2015.
  8. ↑ "National Commission for Decentralised cooperation". Délégation pour l’Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales (Ministère des Affaires étrangères) (in French). Retrieved 2013-12-26.

Bibliography

External links

Coordinates: 1°38′S 13°35′E / 1.633°S 13.583°E / -1.633; 13.583

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