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Port cities and towns in Africa

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Accra
Accra (; or Gaga; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of 284,124, and the larger Greater Accra Region, , had a population of 5.46 million. In common usage, the name "Accra" often refers to the territory of the Accra Metropolitan District as it existed before 2008, when it covered . This territory has since been split into 13 local government districts: 12 independent municipal districts (total area: 179.0 km
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 million in 2023.
Melilla
Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the province of Málaga until 14 March 1995, when the Statute of Autonomy of Melilla was passed.
Mogadishu
Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, or Jorawar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has an estimated urban population of 4,126,815.
Maputo
Maputo () is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed over a land area of . The Maputo metropolitan area includes the neighbouring city of Matola, and has a total population of 2,717,437. Maputo is a port city, with an economy centered on commerce. It is noted for its vibrant cultural scene and distinctive, eclectic architecture. Maputo was formerly named Lourenço Marques (; until 1976).
Banjul
Lomé
Lomé ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437 while there were 2,188,376 permanent residents in its metropolitan area as of the 2022 census. Located on the Gulf of Guinea at the southwest corner of the country, with its entire western border along the easternmost edge of Ghana's Volta Region, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center, which includes an oil refinery. It is also the country's chief port, from where it exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and oil palm kernels.
Libreville
Libreville (; ) is the capital and largest city of Gabon, located on the Gabon Estuary. Libreville occupies of the northwestern province of Estuaire. Libreville is also a port on the Gabon Estuary, near the Gulf of Guinea. As of the 2013 census, its population was 703,904.
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of the special member state territories of the European Union.
Malabo
Malabo ( , ; formerly Santa Isabel ) is a city in Equatorial Guinea, located in the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko (, historically known as Fernando Pó by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a population of approximately 297,000 inhabitants.
Freetown
Freetown () is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and political centre, as it is the seat of the Government of Sierra Leone. The population of Freetown was 1,347,559 as of the 2024 census.
Abidjan
Abidjan ( , ; N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city proper in Africa, after Lagos, Cairo, Kinshasa, Dar es Salaam, and Johannesburg. A cultural crossroads of West Africa, Abidjan is characterised by a high level of industrialisation and urbanisation. It is the most populous French-speaking city in West Africa.
Djibouti
capital city of Djibouti
Mombasa
Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. Buildings in the Central Business District are blue and white, representing the Indian Ocean. It is the country's oldest ( 900 A.D.) and second-largest city after Nairobi, with a population of about 1,208,333 people according to the 2019 census.
Cotonou
Cotonou (; ) is the largest city and seat of government of Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The city lies in the southeast of the country, between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Nokoué.
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. It was home to Central Africa's largest port, now being replaced by Kribi port. It has the country's major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA). It is the commercial and economic capital of Cameroon and the entire CEMAC region comprising Gabon, Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic and Cameroon. Consequently, it handles most of the country's major exports, such as oil, cocoa and coffee, timber, metals and fruits. , the city and its surro
Jamestown
capital of Saint Helena
Walvis Bay
city and harbour in Erongo Region, Namibia
Toamasina
Toamasina (), meaning "like salt" or "salty", unofficially and in French Tamatave or in the past as Port aux prunes, is the capital of the Atsinanana region on the east coast of Madagascar on the Indian Ocean. The city is the chief seaport of the country, situated northeast of its capital and largest city Antananarivo. In 2018 Toamasina had a population of 325,857.
Serekunda
Berbera
Berbera (; ,𐒁𐒗𐒇𐒁𐒗𐒇𐒖, ) is the capital of the Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country, located approximately 160 km from the national capital, Hargeisa. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of the British Somaliland protectorate before Hargeisa. It also served as a major port of the Ifat, Adal and Isaaq sultanates from the 13th to 19th centuries.
Bosaso
Bosaso (Somali: Boosaaso,𐒁𐒝𐒈𐒛𐒈𐒙), historically known as Bender Qassim, is a city in the northeastern Bari province of Somalia. It is the administrative capital of the Bosaso District and the principal commercial center of the Puntland regional state. Located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden, Bosaso serves as a major port facilitating trade between Somalia, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, and international markets.
La Goulette
Tunisian town
Porto Amboim
city in Angola
Banana
small seaport in Bas-Congo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Qandala
Qandala (also known as Candala, Andala, Bender Chor, Bandar Kor, Bender Kor or Taba Tege) is an ancient port town in the northeastern Bari province of Somalia.
Eyl
Eyl is an ancient port town in the northeastern Nugal region of Somalia in the autonomous Puntland region, also serving as the capital of the Eyl District. Eyl, also called Illig, was the capital of the Dervish from 1905 onwards, until superseded by Taleh, which became Dervish capital in 1909.
Bulhar
Bulhar (Bulahar, ) is a historic port town in the Sahil region of Somaliland with routes dating back to antiquity. The port was rejuvenated in the 19th century and was a rival to nearby Berbera.
Berenice Epideires
ancient city in Djibouti
KaTembe
Katembe (also spelled Catembe or KaTembe) is a district of the city of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Situated on the southern shore of Maputo Bay, it faces the historic downtown area across the water and has traditionally served as a strategic gateway between Maputo and the southern coastal region. The district is connected to Ponta do Ouro, the Maputo Special (Elephant) Reserve, and onward to Durban via the Mozambican EN200 and the South African R22 roads.[citation needed] Katembe is noted for its position within the Tembe-Swazi cultural sphere, its beaches, and its role as the southern