La Goulette (original) (raw)

Place in Tunis Governorate, Tunisia

La Goulette حلق الوادي
Panorama of La GoulettePanorama of La Goulette
La Goulette is located in TunisiaLa GouletteLa GouletteLocation in Tunisia
Coordinates: 36°49′5″N 10°18′18″E / 36.81806°N 10.30500°E / 36.81806; 10.30500
Country Tunisia
Governorate Tunis Governorate
Delegation(s) La Goulette
Government
• Mayor Amel Limam (Tahya Tounes)
Population (2014)
• Total 45,711
Time zone UTC1 (CET)

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.

La Goulette is located at around 36°49′5″N 10°18′18″E / 36.81806°N 10.30500°E / 36.81806; 10.30500 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]

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_]

In addition to its transit and cruise activities, the port of La Goulette also receives ships carrying cargoes such as cars, and 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]

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. La Goulette's Sicilian town quarter became commonly known as la Petite Sicile (Little Sicily). It once housed a prominent Italian community – among others the actress Claudia Cardinale. It was also home to sizeable Jewish, Italian, and Maltese communities.[2]

2014 Census[4]

Homes Families Males Females Total
17930 12658 22889 22822 45711
  1. ^ Linea, Corsica. "CORSICA linea". www.corsicalinea.com (in French). Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  2. ^ a b c d "La Goulette | Tunisia". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  3. ^ "Goulette – Office de la Marine Marchande et des Ports". Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  4. ^ "التعداد العام للسكان والسكنى 2014" (PDF). ins.tn (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-05-22.