port town, southwestern Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). It is situated about 40 miles (65 km) southwest of Sassandra, on the Gulf of Guinea. Until the mid-1960s, San-Pédro was a tiny fishing village of fewer than 100 inhabitants, but, following the start of port construction there in 1968, it rapidly grew into a major town. Upon completion of the port in 1970, San-Pédro became the nation's second largest port (after the capital, Abidjan). Exports consist mainly of wood products, which also constitute the town's largest industry. San-Pédro serves as a shipping point in the government project to develop and export the rich forest resources of southwestern Côte d'Ivoire. Pop. (1998) 131,800.