Banjul

From World travel guide

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Banjul (formerly Bathurst), officially the City of Banjul, is the capital of The Gambia, and located within the division of the same name. The population of the city proper is only 34,828, with the Greater Banjul Area, which includes the City of Banjul and the Kanifing Municipal Council, at a population of 357,238 (2003 census). It is located on St Mary's Island (Banjul Island) where the Gambia River enters the Atlantic Ocean. The island is connected to the mainland by passenger and vehicle ferries to the north and bridges to the south.

1 History
2 Economy
3 Climate
4 Transport
5 Districts
6 Twinned cities
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

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History

In 1816, the British founded Banjul as a trading post and base for suppressing the slave trade. It was first named Bathurst after Henry Bathurst, the secretary of the British Colonial Office, but was changed to Banjul in 1973.

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Arch 22 at the entrance to Banjul

On July 22, 1994 Banjul was the scene of a bloodless military coup d'état in which President Dawda Jawara was overthrown and replaced by the country's current President Yahya Jammeh. To commemorate this event, Arch 22 was built as an entrance portal to the capital. The gate is 35 metres tall and the centre of an open square. It houses a textile museum.

Attractions in the city include the Gambian National Museum, the Albert Market, Banjul State House, Banjul Court House, two cathedrals and several major mosques.

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Economy

Banjul is the main urban area of The Gambia and is the country's economic and administrative centre including the Central Bank of The Gambia. As the fourth most densely populated country in Africa, The Gambia has more than one urban area. Peanut processing is the country's principal industry, but beeswax, palm wood, palm oil, and skins and hides are also shipped from its port. View of Banjul from Arch 22. The museum includes handwritten pages from the Qur'an and explains a lot of Juju "magic".

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Climate

Banjul has a hot climate all year round.

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Transport

Banjul International Airport

Albert Market

A street in Banjul

Ferries sail from Banjul to Barra. The city is served by the Banjul International Airport. Banjul is on the Trans-West African Coastal Highway connecting it to Dakar and Bissau, and will eventually provide a paved highway link to 11 other nations of ECOWAS.

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Districts

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Districts of Banjul

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

Banjul
Kanifing

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Twinned cities

Banjul is twinned with Grimsby in the UK and Newark, New Jersey in the United States. Since 2003 Banjul has a fruitful citylink with the Belgian coastal town of Ostend.Cooperation is established in ICT-infrastructure for the B.C.C. and other projects fir capacity building. Ostend based humanitarian organisation Medios vzw is supporting the Female Surgical Ward if the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital. (mor info on http://stedenband.oostende.be) It is the destination of the Plymouth-Banjul Challenge, a charity road rally.