Banjul

**Banjul** (umwhile **Bathurst**), offeecially the **Ceety of Banjul**, is the caipital o The Gambie, an is in the diveesion o the same name. The population o the ceety proper is anerlie 34,828, wi the **Greater Banjul Aurie**, which includes the City of Banjul an the Kanifing Municipal Council, at a population o 357,238 (2003 census).  Banjul is on St Mary's Island (Banjul Island), whare the Gambia River enters the Atlantic Ocean. The island is connectit tae the mainland&nbsp;— bi passenger an vehicle ferries tae the north an bi brigs tae the sooth.

## Etymology
Banjul taks its name frae the Mandé fowk who gathered specific feebres on the island, which wur uised in the manufactur o ropes. **Bang julo** is the Mandinka (Mande) wird for rope feebre.

## History
In 1651 Banjul wis leased bi the Duke o Courland frae the keeng o Kombo, as pairt o Courland colonization.

In 1816, the Breetish foondit Banjul as a tradin post an base for suppressin the sclave trade. The Breetish renamit the Banjul Island tae St. Mary an first namit Bathurst efter Henry Bathurst, the secretary o the Breetish Colonial Office, but wis chyngit tae Banjul in 1973.

On 22 Julie 1994 Banjul wis the scene o a bluidless militar coup d'état in which Preses Dawda Jawara wis owerthrown an replacit bi Preses Yahya Jammeh. Tae commemorate this event, Arch 22 wis biggit as an entrance portal tae the caipital. The gate is 35 metres taw an staunds at the centre o an open square. It hooses a textile museum.

Attractions in the ceety include the Gambian National Museum, the Albert Market, Banjul State House, Banjul Court House, African Heritage Museum, twa cathedrals an several major mosques.

Banjul is the destination o the Plymouth-Banjul Challenge, a charity road rally.

## Economy
Banjul is the kintra's economic an admeenistrative centre an includes the Central Bank of The Gambia. Peanit processin is the kintra's principal industry, but beeswaux, paum wid, paum ile, an skins an hides are shippit frae the port o Banjul an aw.

Banjul is the hame o the Gambia Technical Training Institute an aw. GTTI is currently engagit in a pairtnership wi nan-profit organization Power Up Gambia tae develop a solar energy trainin program.

## Climate
Banjul haes a vera wairm climate year roond.  Unner the Köppen climate classification, Banjul features a tropical wet an dry climate.  The ceety featurs a lengthy dry saison, spannin frae November tae Juin an a relatively short wet saison coverin the remainin fower month. Housomeivver, durin those fower month, Banjul tends tae see hivy precipitation.  August is uisually the rainiest month, wi on average 500&nbsp;mm o precipitation fawin.  Temperaturs are somewha constant, tho it tends tae be slichtly ceuler durin the wet saison than the dry saison.

## Transport
 

Ferries sail frae Banjul tae Barra. The ceety is servit bi the Banjul Internaitional Airport. Banjul is on the Trans–Wast African Coastal Heich-gate connectin it tae Dakar an Bissau, an will eventually provide a pavit heich-gate link tae 11 ither naitions o the Economic Commonty o Wast African States (ECOWAS).

Banjul Internaitional Airport wis ane o the primary Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) steids for the Space Shuttle. It wis selectit in September 1987, replacin a TAL steid at Dakar, Senegal, due tae runwey deficiencies an geographic hazards thare. Banjul wis closed as a TAL steid in November 2002, awtho it wis uised for the STS-125 mission tae the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009.

## Destricts

Banjul Diveesion (Greater Banjul Aurie) is dividit inta twa destricts:
*Banjul
*Kanifing

## Sister ceeties
* Ostend (Belgium)
* Grimsby (UK)
* Newark, New Jersey (Unitit States).
* Taipei, (Taiwan) syne 1997.

## See an aw
*Diveesions o the Gambie
*Destricts o the Gambie

## References


## Freemit airtins

*Access Gambia - Hotels, News, Travel & Photos
*photo documentary 2007 (Lisa Van Damme)