Cacheu
| Cacheu | |
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Fortress of Cacheu
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 Cacheu
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| Coordinates: 12°16′14″N 16°09′57″W / 12.27056°N 16.16583°W | |
| Country |  Guinea-Bissau |
| Region | Cacheu Region |
| Elevation | 44 m (144 ft) |
| Population (2009 census) | |
| • Total | 9,882 |
Cacheu is a town in northwestern Guinea-Bissau, lying on the Cacheu River. Its population was estimated to be 9,849 as of 2008.[1]
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History and landmarks[edit]
The town of Cacheu is situated in territory of the Papel people. The name is of Bainuk origin: "i.e. Caticheu, meaning 'the place where we rest'."[2]
Cacheu was one of the earliest European colonial settlements in sub-saharan Africa, due to its strategic location on the Cacheu river. Cacheu developed a European/Afro-European population from the late fifteenth century through informal settlement of Cape Verdian and Portuguese traders, adventurers and outcasts (lancados). The authorities in mainland Portugal also sent to Cacheu degredados - people condemned to exile for a variety of offences.[3]
For most of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Cacheu was the official slave trading point for the Portuguese in the Upper Guinea region - the point at which the Portuguese crown endeavoured to ensure that duties on all slaves exported were paid.
Notable buildings in Cacheu include the Portuguese-built 16th century fort, dating from the period when Cacheu was a centre for the slave trade.
Cacheu Today[edit]
Roads in the town are paved with oil palm kernels. Other attractions in the town include the Tarafes de Cacheu Natural Park mangrove swamp and a regular market.
International relations[edit]
Twin towns – Sister cities[edit]
Cacheu is twinned with:
References[edit]
- ^ World Gazetteer, Retrieved on June 16, 2008
- ^ Philip J. Havik, Silences and Soundbites: The Gendered Dynamics of Trade and Brokerage in the Pre-colonial Guinea Bissau Region (LIT Verlag Münster, 2004; ISBN 3825877094), p. 57, citing Cissoko, paper presentation at 5th Centenary Conference 'Cacheu, Cidade Antiga', Cacheu, 1988.
- ^ Disney, AR (2009). A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire 2. Cambridge University Press. pp. 51–55.
- ^ "Lisboa - Geminações de Cidades e Vilas" [Lisbon - Twinning of Cities and Towns]. Associação Nacional de Municípios Portugueses [ National Association of Portuguese Municipalities] (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2013-08-23.
- ^ "Acordos de Geminação, de Cooperação e/ou Amizade da Cidade de Lisboa" [Lisbon - Twinning Agreements, Cooperation and Friendship]. Camara Municipal de Lisboa (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2013-08-23.
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Coordinates: 12°16′N 16°10′W / 12.267°N 16.167°W
