Janjanbureh Island
| Janjanbureh Island | ||
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| Waters | Gambia (river) | |
| Geographical location | 13 ° 32 ′ N , 14 ° 46 ′ W | |
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| length | 11 km | |
| width | 2 km | |
| surface | 10 km² | |
| Residents | 3954 395 inhabitants / km² |
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| main place | Janjanbureh | |
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Janjanbureh Island (spelling variant: Jangjangbureh ), also the older name MacCarthy Island is still widely used, is an inland island of the Gambia River in the West African state of Gambia .
geography
The island, about eleven kilometers long and a maximum of two kilometers wide, is located around 283 kilometers upstream from the capital Banjul . The predominant type of vegetation is tropical rainforest in the form of a gallery forest .
On it is Janjanbureh , with the seat of the Central River Region administrative unit .
history
The island was taken over by Captain Alexander Grant of the Royal African Corps in 1823 to establish the Fort George branch for freed slaves. The island, previously known as Lemain Island , was renamed MacCarthy Island in honor of the Governor General of British West Africa , Sir Charles MacCarthy (1814-1824) . MacCarthy himself was a fighter against the slave trade .
In the 1830s, due to the favorable location around the Wesleyan mission, a transshipment point for peanuts , rice and other agricultural products developed, which were then shipped further downstream to Banjul. Due to the brisk trade, the place that was named in honor of King George IV. Georgetown was created.
In 1995 the city was renamed to the indigenous name Janjanbureh. Likewise, as part of the Africanization, the island of MacCarthy Island was renamed Janjanbureh Island .
Satellite image
See also
literature
- Thomas Baur: Senegal, Gambia: Discover, experience and enjoy Senegambia and the Bijagos Archipelago with this practical holiday guide . Reise Know-How Verlag Rump, Bielefeld 2002, ISBN 3-8317-1112-7
