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Vasco da Gama, Goa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ?Vasco da Gama Goa • India |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| District(s) | South Goa |
Coordinates: Vasco da Gama(Konkani/Marathi : वास्को) (often shortened to Vasco) is a city in the Goa state on the west coast of India. It is named after the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. Vasco has Goa's largest population, estimated over 100,000. It is also the headquarters of the Mormugão taluka. The city lies on the western tip of the Mormugao peninsula, at the mouth of the Zuari River, about 30 km from Panaji (Panjim), Goa's capital, and about 5 km from the Dabolim Airport (GOI).
The city was founded in 1543, and remained in Portuguese hands until 1961, when Goa was annexed to India. The Indian Navy's Goa Naval Area (base) is located at Vasco from which it controls Dabolim airport and, in effect, the entire tourism-dependent mini-state of Goa.
Vasco city is well connected by road, rail, sea and air; By road by the NH 17A (National Highway), by rail by the South Central Railway, by the sea through the Mormugoa Harbour and by air by the Dabolim Airport, thus serving as the main hub for foreign Tourists.
Manganese ore mined in interior regions is brought to Marmugoa by barges navigating the rivers Mandovi and Zuari, and then either collected in the Mormugao Port to be loaded onto bulk carrier ships or directly loaded onto the ships using trans-shippers. Ore which is collected on the port is handled by state-of-the-art machinery called MOHP (Mechanical Ore Handling Plant). This includes massive bucket wheel loaders and miles of conveyor belts. The port has berthing facilities for large cruise liners as well as a floating dry dock.
Some of the places of tourist interest are the Pilot Point at Headland Sada, this place offers a magnificent view of the port and the mouth of the Zuari river as well as the Arabian Ocean. Another place at the Headland is the Japanese Garden. Bogmalo Beach is a mere 7 km from Vasco City. This beach is quite risky as it has underwater currents and therefore usually monitored by lifeguards. Khollant beach and Baina Beach are two smaller beaches around Vasco.