Time Zone |
Africa/Libreville |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC+1 |
Daylight Saving Time |
Daylight saving time is not observed in the current region. |
Time Zone |
Asia/Shanghai |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC+8 |
Daylight Saving Time |
Daylight saving time is not observed in the current region. |
Bélinga is a major mining town in the Ogooué-Ivindo Province of the northeastern Gabonese Republic, located deep in the equatorial rainforest near Gabon's border with the Congo Brazzaville. The region is known for its world-class iron ore resources, with proven reserves of approximately 1 billion tons, making it one of the largest undeveloped iron ore deposits in West Africa.
Located on Gabon's inland plateau, with an average elevation of about 800 meters above sea level, Belinga has a tropical rainforest climate with an annual precipitation of more than 2,000 millimeters. It is surrounded by the Ivindo River and other waterways, and is rich in biodiversity, but has a weak infrastructure and is mainly connected to the port of Gentil by road.
Since the discovery of iron ore in the 1960s, Belinga has been considered a strategic project for the diversification of Gabon's economy. The development of the iron ore mine involves plans to build a 270-kilometer dedicated railroad and a deep-water port, which have been repeatedly postponed due to environmental assessments and investment issues. The local economy is still dominated by traditional forestry and small-scale agriculture.
The area is inhabited mainly by the Kota ethnic group, with a population of about 15,000 people. The balance between mining development and rainforest conservation is a central issue, and UNDP has been involved in sustainable development planning, and in 2023 the Gabonese government re-launched a revised development program that takes into account ecological preservation.
Baoding, a prefecture-level city in Hebei Province, is located in the northern part of the North China Plain, constituting a golden triangle with Beijing and Tianjin, and is known as the "Gateway to the Gorge" and the "Southern Gate of the Capital". The city has a long history, since the Neolithic era, there will be the first people to flourish, the Warring States period for the junction of Yan and Zhao, the Yuan Dynasty, set up Baoding Road, to "defend the metropolis, stabilize the world," the Ming and Qing Dynasty for the capital of the Zhili province, is one of the political and cultural centers of northern China's modern times. There are many scenic spots and monuments in Baoding, including the Governor's Office of Zhili, one of China's top ten museums, the national 5A scenic spot Baiyangdian, and the thousand-year-old temple Mancheng Han Tomb, etc. Baoding has a rich cultural heritage. Cultural heritage, Baoding Military Academy is known as "China's modern military cradle", training a large number of military personnel; food culture is unique, Baoding dishes, locust Mao pickles, white Yunzhang buns and other famous. Nowadays, Baoding, as a regional center city in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei world-class urban agglomeration, is relying on the advantages of its location to vigorously develop new energy, automobile manufacturing and other industries, and is a livable city with both historical heritage and modern vitality.