Time Zone |
Europe/Berlin |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC+1 |
Daylight Saving Time |
UTC+2 |
Time Zone |
Africa/Libreville |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC+1 |
Daylight Saving Time |
Daylight saving time is not observed in the current region. |
Boiron is a town in the administrative district of Upper Bavaria in the German state of Bavaria, not an independent state. It is located about 50 kilometers south of Munich on the banks of the Isar River in the northern foothills of the Alps and has a population of about 3,500. The town is known for its rich history, its Catholic Benedictine abbey and its natural beauty.
The Abbey of Boiron, founded in the 8th century, is the central landmark of the area and is known for its Baroque architecture and collection of religious art. The town retains its traditional Bavarian houses, hosts annual Christmas markets and other folklore events, and is surrounded by forests and hills, making it ideal for hiking and cycling tours.
The economy is based on tourism, agriculture and small crafts, with easy access to Munich and the Austrian border by road and rail. Boiron embodies the tranquility and cultural heritage of the Bavarian countryside and is an ideal stopover for exploring the German pre-Alpine 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.