Bolama

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / height missing

Bolama is an island in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. It belongs to Guinea- Bissau.

Geography

The island is the closest to the mainland of Guinea- Bissau location of Bissagos archipelago in the West African shelf of the Atlantic Ocean. It is about 65 km2. Bolama, the same port and capital of the administrative region Bolama is located on the eastern coast. The island has about 10,000 inhabitants. It is almost entirely surrounded and known for its cashew nuts of mangrove forests.

History / Politics

Bolama was uninhabited when British colonialists arrived in 1792. After a series of failures, the British ended their 1794 settlement attempts on the island. 1814 failed another attempt of colonization.

Portugal raised in 1830 are also eligible for Bolama. 1860, the British declared the island a part of their former colony of Sierra Leone. However, in 1870 spoke a commission chaired by Ulysses S. Grant Bolama to the Portuguese. As a result, the city Bolama in 1879 the first capital of Portuguese Guinea, this function but lost in 1941 to Bissau.

Economy / Tourism

The island later became an important stopover for seaplanes. A statue in the island's capital, is reminiscent of a crash in 1931.

1986 - 2003 was operated on Bolama by the Belgian Development Agency " Iles de Paix " a relief project for boat building and fishing.

Interesting, both the sandy beaches as well as the former governor's palace. The island is recognized biosphere reserve. The Government of Guinea- Bissau seeks recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A dam connects with the Ilha das Cobras.

Despite international efforts to protect natural values ​​on Bolama the Government of Guinea -Bissau joined with a Spanish company a contract that provides for the island as a location for a scrap yard of ships. As a result of such signed in Curuna, Spain on 17 October 2002 contract came due to reporting and public relations protests. The project is in the region's population but strongly opposed by environmental and conservation organizations and NGOs. The contractors were asked to adjust the planning of the system and to refrain from carrying out the project.