Niumi
Niumi (spelling variant: Nuimi ) ( Portuguese name Barra , Bara , Bar ) was a small empire in what is now the West African state of Gambia , at the mouth of the Gambia River .
Bounded south by the river and west by the Atlantic Ocean , north by the empire Saloum and east by the empire Jokadu , later by the empire Baddibu . The land is flat and covered with mangrove forest on the coast and the land is fertile.
history
At the end of the 19th century, the number of residents was estimated at 200,000, they mainly belonged to the Mandinka and Wolof ethnic groups . With them, Islam, represented by the advancing Fulbe , was able to restrict the old indigenous religions only a little. They traded gold dust and ivory, which were exported to the British port of Albreda . The coastal strip and part of the land on the Gambia, the so-called Ceded Mile , was acquired by the British. The main town is Barra , very close to Essau , where the King of Niumi resided.
The Lower Niumi and Upper Niumi Districts in the North Bank Region make reference to this empire.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Barra . In: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon . 4th edition. Volume 2, Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1885–1892, p. 390.