Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
December 7, 2017 Blaise Diagne International Airport, which is located in the western part of the Republic of Senegal, was formally opened for scheduled flights. This facility replaced Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in that region as the main airport for Dakar, the capital and largest city of Senegal. Blaise Diagne International Airport is 27... Continue Reading →
June 7, 2019 The first commercial flight of a newly established airline in Nigeria took place. Ibom Air is operated by the government of Akwa Ibom State in the country’s southeastern region. With the launch of Ibom Air, Akwa Ibom became the first of Nigeria’s 36 states to have its own airline. The plane used... Continue Reading →
June 6, 1933 More than two years after construction on it had begun, a bridge spanning a section of the Nile River in Egypt’s capital city of Cairo was officially opened. This bridge was inaugurated by King Fuad I (1868-1936), who served as ruler of Egypt from 1917 until his death in 1936. (He served... Continue Reading →
April 12, 2010 King Mohammed VI of Morocco inaugurated the construction of a major highway in that North African country. This highway, which is officially designated as A4 motorway, was completed in 2015. Based in the northern section of Morocco, A4 motorway covers 107 miles (173 kilometers) between the town and municipality of Berrechid in... Continue Reading →
January 4, 2005 A newly renovated railway station in the Moroccan city of Casablanca was officially reopened. This station, which dates back to 1912, is located in Casablanca’s quartier (neighborhood) of Oasis. The year-long refurbishment of the Oasis (or Casa-Oasis) railway station was carried out by ONCF, a state-owned company that is managed by Morocco’s... Continue Reading →
October 12, 2014 Construction began on the Kazungula Bridge between the Republic of Zambia and the Republic of Botswana in the southern region of Africa. The Kazungula Bridge carries vehicular, rail, and pedestrian traffic over the Zambezi River, which is the fourth longest river in Africa and the largest river flowing into the Indian Ocean... Continue Reading →
July 14, 1897 In West Africa, a road bridge in what is now the Republic of Senegal was officially opened. (At the time of the bridge’s debut, Senegal was a colonial territory of France.) This bridge, which was built across the Senegal River to connect the island and town of Saint-Louis with the mainland, replaced... Continue Reading →
June 21, 2010 A dedication ceremony marking the completion of a major highway in the central-western region of Morocco was held in the commune of M’Zoudia. This north-south route, which is officially designated as A3 motorway, encompasses 281 miles (453 kilometers) between the cities of Casablanca and Agadir. Construction on this highway began in 2000.... Continue Reading →
October 1, 1936 The Cape Columbine Lighthouse first went into service on the west coast of the Union of South Africa (predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa). That area had long been notorious for the hazards to vessels posed by numerous submerged rocks and reefs in the local waters. Both the lighthouse... Continue Reading →
April 9, 2019 (Image courtesy Alstom.) The first two X’Trapolis Mega electric passenger trains to be assembled in the Republic of South Africa were officially introduced to the public. The X’Trapolis Mega is a type of high-capacity train produced by the French multinational rail transportation company Alstom and designed for use in suburban and regional... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 