| Banjul is the capital of the
Gambia and has a population of 35,000 inhabitants. It is located on St
Mary island (Banjul island) at the mouth of the River Gambia, linked to
the main-land by Denton Bridge. There are also ferries linking Banjul to
Barra on the north bank of the river Gambia.
In 1651 the King of Kombo leased the area
to the Duke of Courland and Semigallia, as part of the Latvian / Couronian
colonization. The British founded Banjul in 1816 as a trading post and
base for control of the slave trade. The city was first named Bathurst
in honor of Henry Bathurst, secretary of the Colonial Office, but the name
of the city was changed in 1973. |
