Pointe-Noire is the second largest city and main economic centre in the Republic of the Congo, with a population of 1,420,612 inhabitants in 2023. Since the 2002 constitution, it is also an autonomous department and a commune ; before this date it was the capital of the Kouilou region. It is situated on a headland between Pointe-Noire Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and is located near the border with Angola.