Time Zone |
Africa/Sao_Tome |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC+0 |
Daylight Saving Time |
Daylight saving time is not observed in the current region. |
Time Zone |
Indian/Mahe |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC+4 |
Daylight Saving Time |
Daylight saving time is not observed in the current region. |
São Tomé and Príncipe is an island country in west-central Africa, consisting of the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe and the surrounding islets, with the capital, São Tomé, located in the northeastern part of São Tomé. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, about 200 kilometers from the African continent, the country was colonized by Portugal in the 15th century and became independent in 1975, with Portuguese as the official language and an economy based on agriculture (cocoa, palm oil) and tourism. It should be noted that "Java" is not a city or region of the country; Java is the main island of Indonesia, with cities such as Jakarta and Surabaya, and has nothing to do with São Tomé and Príncipe, possibly due to a confusion of names.
Port Gros is a natural deep-water harbor in Victoria, the capital of the Republic of Seychelles, located in the northeastern part of Mahé Island, an important shipping hub in the Indian Ocean. With its backdrop of emerald green mountains and azure blue waters, the harbor combines a strategic location with natural beauty.
As the only large commercial port in Seychelles, Port Gros is responsible for 90% of the country's imports and exports, with a container terminal, fuel oil berths and a fisheries terminal. Its location near international shipping lanes makes it a transit point for shipping between Asia, Africa and Europe, and has been expanded in recent years to accommodate 10,000 tons of cargo ships.
The port is surrounded by customs, trading companies and seafood markets, and there are daily ferries to the surrounding islands. Visitors can view the coral reefs from a glass-bottomed boat or transfer to a yacht to visit St. Anne's Marine Park, where the port's clock tower and sailboats have become a postcard icon of the Seychelles.
Port Gros has been developed with an emphasis on ecological conservation, with anti-pollution systems in place to maintain the quality of the water, and sea turtles are common in the surrounding waters. Future plans are to enhance cruise ship tourism facilities and to strengthen its position as the 'Pearl Harbor' of the Indian Ocean.