Banjul, Gambia

Banjul is the capital of the The Gambia, a small African nation, and that country's political and commercial center. Built on an island at the mouth of the Gambia River by the British, Banjul has little room to expand; British colonial authorities never envisioned a need for future growth for their settlement there. The lack of space in Banjul proper has spurred the rapid development of the suburban communities on the nearby shores of the river. As a result, Banjul is one of the few capitals in the developing world to have experienced a loss rather than an influx of population in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Landscape

Banjul is located on St. Mary's Island (also known as Banjul Island) in the estuary of the Gambia River, situated in a navigable stretch which extends some 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the West African interior to the Atlantic coastline. The Gambia River has for centuries served as key trade and transportation route in the region, a role it continues to play in the twenty-first century, particularly when fuel costs make river transport a cost-effective alternative.

The river narrows to a width of 5 kilometers (3 miles) at the location of the capital. Banjul's strategic position and its well-sheltered, deep-water port have made the capital a hub for heavy commercial traffic along the river, as well as ocean-going vessels and cargo ships. Banjul's port, through which roughly 700,000 tons of cargo pass annually, plays a significant role in the both the local and regional economies.

Banjul's layout reflects the influence of its British colonial history; the city, originally named Bathurst when just a settlement, is designed in an easily navigable grid pattern and centered around a central green, which is now a public park. To the east lies the bustling Albert Market district and to the south lies the capital's busy port. The geographic constraints of Banjul's island location, nonetheless, have stimulated the rapid growth of the nearby towns of Bakau, Fajara, and Serrakunde.

Banjul has a subtropical climate in which warm, dry conditions prevail from December through February, and hot, humid weather dominates during the rainy season, which typically runs from July through September. During the rainy season, temperatures may run as high as 43 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) but during the dry season, Banjul sometimes experiences overnight low temperatures of -7 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit). Because of climate change, the Gambia has seen an increase in temperature and droughts, coastal erosion, flooding, and wind storms.

People

According to the World Population Review, 481,472 people were living in Banjul as of 2023. The city experienced declines in population in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, going from around sixty thousand in the 1970s to less than thirty thousand in 2010. The migration of people from Banjul to the rapidly growing suburbs follows a period of explosive growth from the early 1960s through the 1980s, during which the capital's population more than doubled.

The initial waves of migrants to Banjul came to the capital in search of economic and educational opportunities as well as a more modern standard of living. The establishment of commuter infrastructures during the 1970s, however, permitted more citizens to work in the capital but live in the less congested communities in proximity to St. Mary's Island.

Banjul is a melting pot of Gambia's eight or so major ethnic groups, the three largest of which are the Mandinka, the Fulani, and the Wolof peoples. The Wolof people have a high profile in the capital, as do the Aju people, who are the descendants of freed slaves and occupy many elite positions. Banjul is also home to significant communities of West African expatriates. Senegalese nationals comprise the largest of these groups, which also include people from the Republic of Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, and Mauritania. Banjul also features a small Lebanese community.

English is Gambia's official language, a reflection of the nation's colonial past, and is used in government, commercial, and educational settings; French is also taught in some area schools. Indigenous languages such as Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, Soninke, and Jola are also commonly spoken in Banjul. Most residents are, at minimum, bilingual. The vast majority of Banjul's residents—around 85 percent—are Muslim. Various Christian denominations and indigenous religions largely comprise the remaining 15 percent.

Economy

Banjul's economy largely revolves around its port, which was built in 1972. The Port of Banjul's proximity to some of the world's busiest oceanic shipping lanes makes the capital the main point of exit for Gambian exports, which are largely agricultural. Peanuts and peanut products represent the most important source of revenue, while cotton, palm kernels and beeswax are other key exports.

Banjul's modest manufacturing sector includes peanut processing facilities and breweries. The production of woven fabrics, jewelry, and handicrafts also constitute important economic activities in the capital, as do commercial fishing operations based out of Banjul.

The fastest-growing sector of Banjul's economy is tourism, which accounts for more than 10 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), and which constitutes nearly a quarter of formal, private-sector employment. Banjul officials have especially high hopes that the ecotourism industry will become a mainstay of the country's economic future. They have showcased such efforts at Tumani Tenda, a residential camp located a short distance outside of Banjul and designed to accommodate the many tourists who travel the Gambia River to observe the region's rich flora and fauna.

Landmarks

Nestled amid Banjul's mixture of colonial-era architecture and modern office buildings is the city's main attraction, the Gambia National Museum, located on Independence Drive in the heart of the capital. The museum's exhibits document Banjul's history and culture, as well as Gambian achievements in the arts, politics, sports, and technology.

Gambian history is also reflected in the city gate, called Arch 22. Built to commemorate the Second Republic of the Gambia that emerged in the aftermath of a bloodless coup in the summer of 1994, the arch sits astride four imposing columns. Its connecting platform is open to the public and affords a sweeping view of the capital and surrounding area.

Albert Market is another significant Banjul landmark. There, local craftspeople sell jewelry, woodcarvings, leather goods, and colorful hand-woven fabrics. The market is known for its tailors, who make clothing to order.

Banjul's most important religious building is the King Fahad Mosque, with its twin minarets. The Portuguese-built State House reflects the capital's colonial roots, as does Fort Bullen, built on the Gambia River's northern shore at Barra Point. The fort once served as a center for the West African slave trade.

Other attractions in the Banjul vicinity include the mangrove swamps surrounding the capital, which offer boat cruisers opportunities to view a wide variety of native birds and wildlife such as monkeys; the Katchikally Crocodile Pool, where visitors can observe crocodiles in their natural habitat; and the traditional village of Jufureh, home to an annual festival celebrating African heritage.

History

Beginning in the mid-fifteenth century, when Portuguese explorers first encountered the Gambia River, the Banjul area was contested by various colonial powers fighting for access to the rich trading routes that lay along the river. In 1660 King Charles II of England chartered the Company of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa (later the Royal African Company). This company had a twin mission of searching for gold to fill the royal treasury and purchasing slaves to provide a source of labor and revenue for British interests. The slave trade was the most lucrative activity in the area during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

In 1808 the British Parliament banned slavery, and eight years later, in 1816, the British purchased St. Mary's Island, site of present-day Banjul, and ordered Captain Alexander Grant to establish a military presence on the island. Grant established a settlement and named it Bathurst in honor of Henry Bathurst, the presiding secretary of the British Colonial Office. Using Bathurst as a base of operations, the British navy attempted to thwart the still-thriving slave trade.

Thanks to its strategic location, Bathurst also quickly began to thrive as a trading post. In 1889, colonial authorities formally named Bathurst the capital of the Gambia Colony and Protectorate. The British retained control of Bathurst until 1965 when Gambia achieved national independence. In 1973 the country's leaders renamed their capital Banjul.

Following a period of economic stagnation in the 1980s, a bloodless coup was staged in Banjul in 1994, enabling a new president, Yahya Jammeh, to seize power. Since that time, Banjul, the proclaimed gateway to West Africa, has seen its population decline, and has begun a series of urban reclamation projects by replacing old commercial and residential buildings with new warehouses and modern apartments.

President Jammeh was defeated by Adama Barrow in the 2016 presidential election, and he was pressured to accept the results and leave office in 2017.

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