MacCarthy Island

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / height missing

Janjanbureh Iceland ( spelling variant: Jangjangbureh ), also the older name MacCarthy Iceland is still used frequently, is an inland island in the Gambia River in the West African nation of Gambia.

Geography

The about eleven kilometers long, and up to two kilometers wide island is situated about 283 km upriver from the capital Banjul. The dominant vegetation type is tropical rain forest in the form of a gallery forest.

On it there is Janjanbureh, the headquarters of the administrative unit Central River Region.

History

The island was in 1823 taken by Captain Alexander Grant from the Royal African Corps in possession, to found the Fort George branch for freed slaves. The island, which was until then known under the name Lemain Iceland, was named in honor of the Governor General of British West Africa, Sir Charles MacCarthy (1814-1824), renamed MacCarthy Iceland. MacCarthy himself was a fighter against the slave trade.

In the 1830s, due to the convenient location to the Wesleyan Mission developed a transit point for peanuts, rice and other agricultural products, these were then shipped down river to Banjul. Due to the brisk trade it was the place that was named in honor of King George IV George Town.

In 1995, the city in the indigenous name Janjanbureh has been renamed. Similarly, the island was renamed Janjanbureh MacCarthy Iceland Iceland under the Africanization.

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