Janjanbureh or Jangjangbureh is a town, founded in 1823, on Janjanbureh Island , also known as MacCarthy Island, in the Gambia River in eastern Gambia . Until 1995, it was known as Georgetown and was the second largest town in the country. It is the capital of Janjanbureh Local Government Area (formerly the Central River Division ), and the Janjanbureh district . The population of the Janjanbureh LGA was 127,333 at the 2013 population census.
7-593: MacCarthy Island , then known as Lemain Island, was purchased by the British captain Alexander Grant in 1823 in exchange for annual payments to Kolli Camara, the king of Lower Niani . It was intended as a settlement for freed slaves. A dispute ensued when the colonists demanded labor from Niani, but the ruling Kamara clan sent an army instead, forcing the British to take refuge in their new fort. A counterattack on
14-463: Is best known as home to Gambia's main prison . The Wassu stone circles , a major tourist attraction, lie 22 km northwest of Lamin Koto, on the north bank across from Janjanbureh. The island is known locally as MacCarthy Island and is located in what used to be called MacCarthy Island Division. The island is accessed by bridge from the south bank, and small boat ferries or the government ferry from
21-496: The British West African Territories ). In 1832, Georgetown was founded by the British as a Creole settlement, although it was quickly populated by liberated Africans from elsewhere. The town gradually became an administrative and economic centre for the country. 13°32′N 14°46′W / 13.533°N 14.767°W / 13.533; -14.767 This Gambian location article
28-674: The Niani capital of Ndougousine failed, with the Mandinka capturing two cannons, but the island remained in British hands. By the 1840s the trading post was doing steady business in hides, wax, and ivory; it was the furthest upriver post the colonial administration controlled. In 1880 the town had a population of 1263, of whom only one was a European. Janjanbureh is the birthplace of the Yale University historian Lamin Sanneh . The town
35-427: The island is the second-largest town in the country, Janjanbureh , but on many maps it still appears by its European name of Georgetown. In addition to being a destination for some wildlife tourists, the island is also the home of Gambia's largest prison . The island was first settled by Western traders in the 15th century, although by the 19th century it was no longer a viable trading post due to frequent wars between
42-539: The north bank. In 1995, both the city of Georgetown and MacCarthy Island were renamed Janjanbureh respectively. MacCarthy Island MacCarthy Island , originally known as Lemain Island and officially named Janjanbureh Island , is an island located approximately 170 miles (272 km) upriver from the mouth of the Gambia River , in eastern Gambia , in the Janjanbureh District . Located on
49-492: The states of Wuli and Niani . The island was subsequently purchased by the British to use initially as a prison colony after the loss of most North American colonies and later as a military garrison to help protect the traders. A treaty of cession was signed in 1823 in exchange for annual payments to the chief, and the island was formally named MacCarthy Island (after Sir Charles MacCarthy , former Governor General of
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