The Barrakunda Falls or Barra Kunda Falls is a waterfall located in the
Tambacounda region
Tambacounda, formerly known as ''Sénégal Oriental'', is a region of Senegal. It used to be part of the Mali Empire before the borders were created to separate Mali from Senegal. Tambacounda is physically the largest of Senegal's 14 regions, but ...
of
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤠(Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤠ðž ...
,
upstream from the mouth of the
Gambia River
The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra) is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul. It is navigable f ...
.
Because the falls limit river travel in the dry season, they were an important milestone and obstacle for European explorers such as
Richard Jobson and
Richard Graves MacDonnell
Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell (; 3 September 1814 – 5 February 1881) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer, judge and colonial governor. His posts as governor included Governor of the British Settlements in West Africa, Governor of Saint Vincent, Gove ...
intent on reaching the interior. The village of Barrakunda, a part of the
Kingdom of Wuli
Wuli was a kingdom located on the north bank of the Gambia River in what is now the eastern portion of The Gambia and the Tambacounda region of Senegal. It was ruled by the Wally family. The capital was located in the village of Bantunding.
His ...
, occasionally hosted European trading posts from as early as 1651.
[Gailey, Harry (1987). Historical dictionary of the Gambia. p38. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810820013.]
References
Waterfalls of Senegal
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