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America/New_York |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC-5 |
Daylight Saving Time |
UTC-4 |
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Africa/Libreville |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC+1 |
Daylight Saving Time |
Daylight saving time is not observed in the current region. |
Pendleton is a historic town in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States, located in the northwestern part of the state, about 30 miles from the city of Greenville. The town is known for its well-preserved 19th century architecture and deep cultural heritage.
Founded in 1790, Pendleton is one of the oldest towns in South Carolina. The town center is home to more than 50 historic buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Pendleton Borough Historical Museum, built in 1826. The town is also known for the Pendleton Farmstead National Historic Landmark, which showcases a unique look at an early farming community.
Each spring, Pendleton hosts the famous Pendleton Spring Festival, which attracts a large number of visitors who come to experience traditional crafts, music and food. The town is surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes and is close to the Savannah River and the Blue Ridge Mountains, making it ideal for outdoor enthusiasts to hike and fish.
Pendleton's economy is dominated by tourism and small businesses, while its proximity to Clemson University benefits from the radiation of educational resources. Its tranquil atmosphere and rich historical heritage make it a highly sought-after residential and tourist destination in the Upcountry region of South Carolina.
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.