Matakong Explained

Official Name:Matakong, Forécariah Prefecture
Pushpin Map:Guinea
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Guinea
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Guinea
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population Blank1 Title:Ethnicities
Population Blank2 Title:Religions
Coordinates:9.2722°N -13.4222°W
Elevation M:1

Matakong is an island just off the coast of Guinea between the capital Conakry and the Sierra Leone border.

Nomenclature

Matakong is also called Matakan.

Transport

Matakong is the proposed port terminus of the heavy duty standard gauge Trans-Guinean Railway, aimed at transporting large iron and bauxite deposits to the coast, notably from the mines at Simandou, 650km east . The proposed Bellzone iron ore mine at Kalia may also share this railway line.[1]

New port

A new deep water port is needed because, firstly, the port at Conakry is built out and there is no room, and secondly, because a new port at Matakong has better access though flatter ground to the hinterland.

A 20 km pier may be needed to reach deep water suitable for panamax size ships. An artificial island contains the ship loader and ore dumps, and these is connected by a conveyor belt from the railway unloaded on the mainland. It is not known if the railway terminates in a Balloon loop.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bellzone Mining - Kalia Rail System . 2010-05-28 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091013195346/http://www.bellzone.com.au/Kalia/Project/RailSystem/tabid/86/Default.aspx . 2009-10-13 .