Bata, Equatorial Guinea
| Bata | ||
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| Bata | ||
Torre de La Libertad standing by the promenade along the coast
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 Bata
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| Coordinates: 1°51′N 9°45′E / 1.850°N 9.750°E | ||
| Country |
 Equatorial Guinea
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| Province | Litoral | |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) | |
| Population (2012) | ||
| • Total | 250,770 | |
| Demonym(s) | Batengo | |
| Area code(s) | 08 | |
| Climate | Am | |
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Bata is a port city in the Litoral Province of Equatorial Guinea. With a 2005 estimated population of 173,046, it is the largest city in Equatorial Guinea. It lies on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Río Muni. Bata was formerly capital of Equatorial Guinea and is a transport hub and port, from which ferries sail to Malabo and Douala, while fliers can land at Bata Airport. Bata is also known for its nightlife and market.
Bata has one of the deepest seaports in the region. Despite this, Bata has no natural harbor and a jetty was built to facilitate offshore handling of ships' cargoes. The principal exports are timber and coffee. The international airport at Bata Airport has flights to several cities, including the capital, Malabo and to Libreville in Gabon. Bata, like Malabo, contains some of the country's best hotels including the Hotel Panafrica, overlooking the beach.
After the anti-Spanish riots of 1968, the European population declined in Bata, and severe economic stagnation affected Bata in the 1970s and early 1980s. The recent oil boom of the country in the late 1980s and 1990s has boosted the development of the city.
Bata, like most of Equatorial Guinea, has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). It is much less gloomy than Malabo, and has its dry season in the opposite months to insular Equatorial Guinea but in the same months as neighbouring Gabon due to the Benguela Current. There is also a minor depression in rainfall between December and February when the Intertropical Convergence Zone its at its most southerly, and unlike the true dry season in July and August, this is accompanied by increased sunshine. The rainiest months are April, May, October and November, when monthly totals of 300 millimetres or 12 inches are typical, although October averages as much as 457 millimetres or 18.0 inches.
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