Farim was founded about 1641 by the Captain-Major of Cacheu, who recruited lançados from Geba to move to where they would be less vulnerable to attack by African tribes. The name derived from ''
farim
Farim is a town of northern Guinea-Bissau. It sits on the north bank of the Farim/Cacheu River, about 215 km (135 miles) up the river from Cacheu. Population 8,661 (2009 census).Mandinka people's ruler. For their part, the Mandinkas and Soninke called the settlement Tubabodaga ("village of the whites"). It was well-situated as a port, since the river was continuously navigable by sailing vessels from Cacheu.
It became a '' presídio'' (garrisoned place) though an order dated 10 November 1696, in reaction to an anticipated attack from nearby Canico. The area remained generally peaceful, and the defenses gradually deteriorated.
It was a base for operations against Oio in 1897 and 1902. Farim started to grow in earnest in the 1910s, with over twenty trading firms based there, and became a vila (town) in 1918.
Farim had become a '' centro comercial'' by 1925, and experienced an influx of Lebanese and Syrian merchants, dealing in
peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), 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, important to both small and ...
s and
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
. Its economy was hit hard by the independence struggle in the 1960s and 1970s.
Sports
There are several sports clubs (notably football and athletics) in Farim and area, including SC Farim.