Banjul (, (US) and ), officially the City of Banjul, is the

capital city A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state (polity), state, province, department (administrative division), department, or other administrative division, subnational division, usually as its ...

The Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. It is the centre of the eponymous administrative division which is home to an estimated 400,000 residents, making it The Gambia's largest and most densely populated

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

. The city Banjul is located on St Mary's Island (Banjul Island), where the

Gambia River The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra, French language, French: ''Fleuve Gambie'', Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Rio Gâmbia'') is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward ...

enters the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. The population of the city proper is 31,301, with the Greater Banjul Area, which includes the City of Banjul and the

Kanifing Kanifing is a municipality, Local Government Areas of the Gambia, local government area and Districts of the Gambia, district in the Gambia. It is part of the Greater Banjul Area, to the west of Banjul, and is governed by Kanifing Municipal Co ...

Municipal Council, at a population of 413,397 (2013 census). The island is connected to the mainland to the west and the rest of Greater Banjul Area via bridges. There are also ferries linking Banjul to the mainland at the other side of the river. From the 19th century until 24 April 1973, the city was known as Bathurst.

Etymology

There are several etymologies for 'Banjul.' One traditional history recounts that Bandjougou, son of Barafin, came to the island after fleeing the attacks of

Soumaoro Kante Soumaoro is a name. Notable people with the name include: * Adama Soumaoro (born 1992), French footballer * Brem Soumaoro (born 1996), Liberian footballer * Soumaoro Kanté (''fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; fr ...

on the

Manding region Manding, Manden or even Mandé is a region located in West Africa, a space between southern Mali and eastern Guinea. It is the historic home of the Manding languages, Mandinka community. The Malinke people, Malinke are at the origin of the found ...

. His name became attached to the island, and over time changed to 'Bandjoulou'. Another theory claims that Banjul takes its name from ''Bang julo'', the

Mandinka Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to: Media * Mandingo (novel), ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957 * Mandingo (film), ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel * ''Man ...

word for

rope A rope is a group of yarns, Plying, plies, fibres, or strands that are plying, twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have high tensile strength and can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger ...

fibre that the

Mandinka people The Mandinka or Malinke are a West African ethnic group primarily found in southern Mali, The Gambia, southern Senegal and eastern Guinea. Numbering about 11 million, they are the largest subgroup of the Mandé peoples and one of the List of ethn ...

gathered on the island.

History

In 1651, Banjul was leased by the Duke of Courland and Semigallia (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: ''

Herzog (; feminine ; masculine plural ; feminine plural ) is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to ...

von Kurland und Semgallen'') from the King of

Kombo Kombo or Combo was a kingdom and later a chieftaincy in Gambia during the colonial period. Kombo was part of the Mali Empire and gained independence after its fall, and was then ruled by the Sambou Bainunka clan. Mansa Karapha Yalli Jatta bec ...

, as part of the

Couronian colonization Curonian colonisation was the colonisation efforts of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (today part of Latvia), a vassal duchy of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Small, but wealthy, the Duchy took a modest part in the European colo ...

. On 23 April 1816,

Tumani Bojang The United States Department of Defense was holding a total of eleven Syrian detainees in Guantanamo. A total of 778 suspects have been held in the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba since the camps opened on January 11, 2002 The camp popula ...

, the King of Kombo, ceded Banjul Island to Alexander Grant, the British commandant, in exchange for an annual fee of 103 iron bars. Grant's expedition, consisting of 75 men and tasked with establishing a military garrison, had been ordered by Charles MacCarthy. Grant founded Banjul as a trading post and base, constructing houses and barracks for controlling entrance to the Gambia estuary and suppressing the

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

. The British renamed Banjul Island as St. Mary's Island and named the new town Bathurst, after the 3rd Earl Bathurst,

Secretary of State for War and the Colonies The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet-level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India). The Secretary was supported by an Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. Hist ...

at the time. Streets were laid out in a modified grid pattern, and named after Allied generals at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

. The town became the centre of British activity in the

Gambia Colony and Protectorate The Gambia Colony and Protectorate was the British colonial administration of The Gambia from 1821 to 1965, part of the British Empire in the New Imperialism era. The colony was the immediate area surrounding Bathurst (now Banjul), and the p ...

. Within a few years of its establishment, the town started attracting migrants. Its population consisted of Africans of various origins,

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

ines (Syrians, Lebanese) as well as Europeans (English, French, Portuguese). A majority of the population was Muslim but there was a significant Christian minority, including the Aku inhabitants. The majority of the Africans consisted of

Wolof people The Wolof people () are a Niger-Congo peoples, Niger-Congo ethnic group native to the Senegambia, Senegambia region of West Africa. Senegambia is today split between western Senegal, northwestern the Gambia, Gambia and coastal Mauritania; the Wo ...

, whose population rose from 829 in 1881 to 3,666 in 1901 and then 10,130 in 1944. They had mainly hailed from

Gorée (; "Gorée Island"; ) is one of the 19 (i.e. districts) of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is an island located at sea from the main harbour of Dakar (), famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlantic slave trade. Its populatio ...

and Saint-Louis. The

were the second largest African group, followed by the Jola as well as the

Fula Fula may refer to: *Fula people (or Fulani, Fulɓe) *Fula language (or Pulaar, Fulfulde, Fulani) **The Fula variety known as the Pulaar language **The Fula variety known as the Pular language **The Fula variety known as Maasina Fulfulde *Fula alpha ...

. The

Serer people The Serer people (''Serer language, Serer proper'': Seereer or Sereer) are a West African ethnoreligious groupGastellu, Jean-Marc, ''Petit traité de matrilinarité. L'accumulation dans deux sociétés rurales d'Afrique de l'Ouest'', Cahiers ORST ...

make up 3.5% of the country's demographics. Islamic schools called ''dara'' were founded in Bathurst from its early years, resulting in the foundation of the first Muslim court in 1905, in addition to the increasingly more sophisticated British legal framework. Bathurst was officially declared the capital of the Protectorate of the Gambia in 1889, leading to an increase in population. Through the 20th century, it became an even greater attraction for Gambians due to the availability of jobs fuelled by British colonial activities as well as social activities such as cinemas. Young men from rural farming villages would move to Bathurst to work at the Public Works Department (established in 1922) or docks. The town was an important Allied naval and air hub during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, resulting in an increase in population from 14,370 in 1931 to 21,154 in 1944. After independence, the town's name was changed to Banjul in 1973. On 22 July 1994, Banjul was the scene of a bloodless military

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

in which President Sir

Dawda Jawara Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara (16 May 1924 – 27 August 2019) was a Gambian politician who served as prime minister from 1962 to 1970, and then as the first President of The Gambia from 1970 to 1994, when he was overthrown by Yahya Jammeh. Jawa ...

was overthrown and replaced by

Yahya Jammeh Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is a Gambian politician and former soldier, who served as President of the Gambia from 1996 to 2017. He was the Chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 1994 ...

. To commemorate this event,

Arch 22 Arch 22 is a commemorative arch on the road into Banjul in the Gambia. It was built in 1996 to mark the military coup d'état of July 22, 1994, through which Yahya Jammeh and his Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council overthrew the democra ...

was built as an entrance portal to the capital. The gate is 35 metres tall and stands at the centre of an open square. It houses a

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

Climate

Banjul features hot weather year round. Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Banjul features a

tropical wet and dry climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(''Aw''). The city features a lengthy

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...

, spanning from November to May and a relatively short

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...

covering the remaining five months. However, during those five months, Banjul tends to see heavy rainfall. August is usually the rainiest month, with on average of rainfall. Maximum temperatures are somewhat constant, though morning minima tend to be hotter during the wet season than the dry season. According to a Gambian government minister, Banjul is at risk of submerging under water by a metre rise in sea levels as a result of climate change and global warming.

Climate change

A 2019 paper published in PLOS One estimated that under Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5, a "moderate" scenario of

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

where global warming reaches ~ by 2100, the climate of Banjul in the year 2050 would most closely resemble the current climate of

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

. The annual temperature would increase by , and the temperature of the warmest month by , while the temperature of the coldest month would actually decrease by . According to

Climate Action Tracker Climate Action Tracker (CAT) is an independent scientific project with the aim of monitoring government action to achieve their reduction of greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse e ...

, the current warming trajectory appears consistent with , which closely matches RCP 4.5.

Districts

Banjul Division (Greater Banjul Area) is divided into two districts: *

Banjul Banjul (, (US) and ), officially the City of Banjul, is the capital city of The Gambia. It is the centre of the eponymous administrative division which is home to an estimated 400,000 residents, making it The Gambia's largest and most densely ...

Economy

Banjul is the country's economic and administrative centre and includes the

Central Bank of the Gambia The Central Bank of The Gambia is the central bank of The Gambia. Its name is abbreviated to CBG. The bank is located in Banjul and was established in 1971. Buah Saidy is the current Governor. Operations As a central bank, CBG is responsible ...

Peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...

processing is the country's principal industry, but

beeswax Bee hive wax complex Beeswax (also known as cera alba) is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus ''Apis''. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in o ...

palm wood The Arecaceae () is a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are colloquially ...

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...

, and skins and hides are also shipped from the port of Banjul. Banjul is also the home of the Gambia Technical Training Institute. GTTI is engaged in a partnership with non-profit organization

Power Up Gambia Power Up Gambia (PUG) is a Philadelphia-based non-profit health care and environmental group that works in the Gambia, in West Africa. It was founded in 2006 by Kathryn Cunningham Hall, then a University of Pennsylvania undergraduate. The organ ...

to develop a

solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...

training program.

Transport

The primary method of reaching the city by land is by road. A highway connects Banjul to

Serrekunda Serekunda (or Serrekunda; ) is a major city and the largest metropolitan area in The Gambia. It is situated close to the Atlantic coast, on the Gambia River, near the capital, Banjul. Serekunda and Banjul form an urban area known as the Kombos ...

which crosses the Denton Bridge, however

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

provide another mode of transportation. As of May 2014, ferries sail regularly from Banjul across the

Barra Barra (; or ; ) is an island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and the second southernmost inhabited island there, after the adjacent island of Vatersay to which it is connected by the Vatersay Causeway. In 2011, the population was 1,174. ...

. The city is served by the

Banjul International Airport Banjul International Airport, also known as Yundum International , is the international airport of Banjul, capital of Gambia, built during World War II. It is the country's only commercial airport. History The only airport in Gambia is at Yu ...

. Banjul is on the

Trans–West African Coastal Highway The Trans–West African Coastal Highway or TAH 7 is a transnational highway project to link 12 West African coastal nations, from Mauritania in the north-west of the region to Nigeria in the east, with feeder roads already existing to two landlock ...

connecting it to

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

and

Bissau Bissau () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Guinea-Bissau. it had a population of 492,004. Bissau is located on the Geba River estuary, off the Atlantic Ocean, and is Guinea-Bissau's largest city, major port, its administr ...

, which will eventually provide a paved highway link to 11 other nations of the

Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as CEDEAO in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of twelve countries of West Africa. Collectively, the present and former members comprise an area ...

(ECOWAS). File:Gambia & Senegal 2009 (3686723627).jpg, Banjul ferry File:Banjul International Airport.jpg, Banjul International Airport

Culture

Attractions in the city include the

Gambian National Museum The National Museum of The Gambia is a Gambian cultural museum located in Banjul. It is home to historical documents and displays concerning the History of the Gambia. History The Gambia National Museum opened in 1985, fifteen years after the Fr ...

, the

Albert Market The Albert Market, formerly known officially as Royal Albert Market, is a street market in Banjul, The Gambia. Located on Liberation Avenue, the market was built in the mid-nineteenth century. It is named after Albert, Prince Consort, husband of ...

, Banjul State House, Banjul Court House, African Heritage Museum.

Sport

Banjul is the destination of the

Plymouth-Banjul Challenge The Plymouth-Banjul Challenge is run b'Dakar Challenge'and self described as 'The original Banger Challenge’ and previously known as the Plymouth-Dakar Challenge, is an annual car event for Charitable organization, charity. Established in 2002 ...

, a charity road rally.

Education

The

University of the Gambia The University of the Gambia (UTG) is an institution of higher education located in Kanifing, the Gambia. History The campus was founded in 1998 in Kotu-Kanifing District, Kanifing, a suburb of Sere Kunda. It was not until March 1999 that the U ...

was founded in 1999.

International schools

* Banjul American Embassy School *

École Française de Banjul ''École Française de Banjul'' is a French international school in Bakau, The Gambia, in the Banjul metropolitan area. It serves levels preschool through ''première''; classes use the National Centre for Distance Education (CNED) beginning in ' ...

Bakau Bakau is a town on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Gambia, Gambia, west of Gambia's capital city of Banjul. It is known for its botanical gardens, its crocodile pool ''Bakau Kachikally'' and for the beaches at Cape Point (Gambia), Cap ...

. * Maarif International School (Greater Banjul Area) * Marina International School (Greater Banjul Area) * SBEC International School (Greater Banjul Area) * British International School The Gambia ( Greater Banjul Area)

Places of worship

The

places of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is so ...

are predominantly

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

mosques. There are also

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

churches and congregations:

Roman Catholic Diocese of Banjul The Roman Catholic Diocese of Banjul () is a diocese located in the city of Banjul in the Gambia. History * January 18, 1848: Father Ronarc'h and Father Warlop, Holy Ghost Fathers, arrive in Banjul * January 18, 1849: Ronarc'h and Warlop establi ...

(

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Church of the Province of West Africa The Church of the Province of West Africa is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering 17 dioceses in eight countries of West Africa, specifically in Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Ghana is th ...

(

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

.J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ''Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1172

Notable people

* Gambino Akuboy (born 1985), singer & songwriter, actor and screenwriter *

Musa Barrow Musa Barrow (born 14 November 1998) is a Gambian professional association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for Saudi Pro League club Al Taawoun FC, Al-Taawoun and the The Gambia national football team, G ...

, footballer * Ebrima Darboe (Born 2001), football player * Ibrahim Muhammadu Garba-Jahumpa (1912-1994), trade union leader and politician *

Nicolas Jackson Nicolas Jackson (born 20 June 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Chelsea and the Senegal national team. Jackson played for Casa Sports in Senegal before joining Villarreal in 2019. After a loan to Mirandé ...

, footballer (born in Banjul)

Bibliography

* * Matthew James Park
Heart of Banjul: The History of Banjul, The Gambia, 1816-1965
. PhD dissertation, Michigan State University, 2016. *

External links

A History of Banjul, PhD thesis

References

{{Authority control Local Government Areas of the Gambia Populated places in the Gambia Capitals in Africa Serer country Populated places established in 1816 Port cities and towns of the Atlantic Ocean Port cities in Africa Gambia River Former colonies of Courland 1816 establishments in the British Empire 1816 establishments in Africa