Kankan
Kankan | |
|---|---|
Sub-prefectureand town | |
 Downtown Kankan | |
  Kankan | |
| Coordinates:10°23′N9°18′W/ 10.383°N 9.300°W | |
| Country |  Guinea |
| Region | Kankan Region |
| Prefecture | Kankan Prefecture |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mory Kolofon Diakité[1] |
| Population (2020[2]) | |
| • Total | 198,013 |
Kankan(Mandingo:Kánkàn;N’ko:ߞߊ߲ߞߊ߲߫) is the largest city inGuineainland area,and the third largest in population, with a population of 198,013 people as of 2020.[3]The city is located in easternGuineaabout 555 kilometres (345 miles) east of the national capitalConakry.
The city is the capital and largest town of theKankan Prefectureand of theKankan Regionwith its population being largely from theMandeethnic group.
The Kankan regionnow has more than 6,167,904 inhabitants (2021) which has made it the most populous region in Guinea. The region has five (5) prefectures (Kankan, Kérouané, Kouroussa, Mandiana and Siguiri), 53 sub-prefectures, 5 urban communes, 53 rural communes, 878 arrondissements, 68 neighborhoods and 1864 sectors.
Etymology[edit]
Kankan had different names (see History section) before being dubbedKankanduring Arafan Kabine's rule as patriarch, which means 'the defenses' (or 'God protect our city from all the attacks'), due to successives attacks by the unfaithful people.
But there are other terms which says that during the Kaba's negotiation of the place from Conde's, they were informed to install where the people made theKankan(A fixed wood that Mandes often used as a door), and there were no other human settlement between Makonon and Diankana (30 km) during this moment.
The other terms are used by the griots, that there were too much of theKankan-Kissè(an arborescent name) in to the area that Kankan settled in, so the Conde's told the Kaba to install this place, which made the Kaba to rename it as Kankan. Those terms have no sources and the speakers didn't know anything about Kankan's history.
Geography[edit]
The city is located on theMilo River,a tributary of theNiger River.
History[edit]
Early history[edit]
According to oral histories, Kankan was founded in 1690 by Daouda Kaba, whose ancestors had come from Diafounou, in what is now Mali, a few decades earlier. His uncle Fodemoudou Conde, chief of the nearby village Makonon, gave Kaba the land on the banks of the Milo river near where the bridge is today, which was open bush. The hamlet was originally calledFadou(place of plenty), thenKaourou(prosperous place), thenNabaya(place of welcome).[4]
Another tradition holds that Kankan was founded in the mid 17th century byDyulatraders of the Sarif and Sanyo families. By the 18th century it was an important religious center under the great marabout and Islamic scholar Alfa Kaabinè Kaba as well as a center of trade linking the coast, thekola nutgrowing regions, and theNiger rivervalley to the north.[5]: 41 During this period Kankan was the capital of theBate Empire.[6]
In 1763 the warlord Bourama Diakite fromWassouloudrove the inhabitants of the Bate region, including Kankan, inttoFouta Jalon,where they took refuge in Timbo and Fougoumba due to their sharedIslamicbackground. Their exile lasted seven years. Upon their return in 1770 they rebuilt and fortified the town and renamed itKankan,meaning 'protected city'.[4]The new town was built in six districts, two of which were named after the towns that had sheltered their inhabitants during exile. Timbo neighborhood still exists today.[citation needed].
Another later invasion from Wassoulou, led by the kingsDiédiandDjiba(orDJI), attempted to conquer Kankan but it was defeated by Alpha-Mamoudou Kaba.[citation needed].
The French explorerRené Cailliéspent a month in Kankan in 1827 during his journey fromBoké,in present-day Guinea, toDjennéandTimbuktuin Mali. He arrived with acaravantransportingkola nuts.He described the visit in his bookTravels through Central Africa to Timbuctoo.The town had a population of 6,000 inhabitants and was an important commercial centre with a market held three times a week. Instead of having a surrounding mud wall, the town was defended byquickset hedges.The chief of the town refused Caillié permission to travel along the river to the north as the town of Kankan was fighting for control of the Bouré gold producing area aroundSiguiriand theTinkisso River.Instead Caillié left the town heading east in the direction ofMinignanin the Ivory Coast.[7][8]
Alliance with Samori and conflict[edit]
After defeating Jamoro Aji and Ouorokodo Famoudou in the Battle of Saman-Saman, Kankan sent emissaries to join the theocratic alliance led bySamori Tureand signed the peace treaty with him.
While Samori was trying to conquering the Cissé kingdom, he called on Bate (Kankan) to help him, but Kankan categorically refused because one of the Séré-Bréma's wives, Mali Kaba, was from Kankan. Samori saw this as a betrayal, and in 1879 sent troops to besiege the town within three months. Mamadi Kaba (commonly known asDayi Kaba) escaped the besieged city. During this siege,Karifamoudouyasent troops to break the siege over Kankan, but they were repelled and massacred until they crossed the River Gbourouroun, the border between two cities.[citation needed].After having driven out the Kaba, Samori installed a puppet ruler. Kaba, meanwhile, joined the French colonial forces inSégou,fighting with them until they captured Kankan in 1891, at which point the dynasty was restored.[9]
Colonial Era[edit]
In 1904, the city was chosen as the final destination for the railroad originating inConakry.This was eventually completed in 1914, enhancing Kankan's longstanding position as a crossroads of trade. By 1922 it was widely seen as the second city of Guinea, after the capital Conkary.[9]
Climate[edit]
Kankan has atropical savanna climate(Köppen climate classificationAw).
| Climate data for Kankan (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 34.4 (93.9) |
36.7 (98.1) |
37.9 (100.2) |
37.3 (99.1) |
35.0 (95.0) |
32.3 (90.1) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.4 (86.7) |
31.1 (88.0) |
32.7 (90.9) |
34.3 (93.7) |
34.4 (93.9) |
33.9 (93.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.7 (76.5) |
27.6 (81.7) |
30.1 (86.2) |
30.6 (87.1) |
28.9 (84.0) |
26.9 (80.4) |
25.9 (78.6) |
25.8 (78.4) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.5 (79.7) |
24.7 (76.5) |
27.0 (80.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.0 (59.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.4 (72.3) |
23.9 (75.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
21.5 (70.7) |
21.1 (70.0) |
21.1 (70.0) |
20.8 (69.4) |
21.0 (69.8) |
18.7 (65.7) |
15.0 (59.0) |
20.1 (68.2) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 3.5 (0.14) |
4.5 (0.18) |
18.4 (0.72) |
48.3 (1.90) |
132.3 (5.21) |
181.3 (7.14) |
235.2 (9.26) |
352.2 (13.87) |
314.8 (12.39) |
132.8 (5.23) |
18.5 (0.73) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1,441.8 (56.76) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 8.9 | 13.2 | 14.7 | 19.2 | 18.2 | 10.7 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 93.7 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 38 | 35 | 38 | 49 | 63 | 73 | 77 | 79 | 77 | 75 | 57 | 46 | 59 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 262 | 236 | 249 | 220 | 234 | 216 | 169 | 159 | 191 | 221 | 241 | 260 | 2,658 |
| Source:NOAA(humidity, sun 1961–1990)[10][11] | |||||||||||||
Education[edit]
TheJulius Nyerere University of Kankanwas founded in 1964.
Places of worship[edit]
Among theplaces of worship,they are predominantlyMuslimmosques. There are alsoChristianchurches and temples: theRoman Catholic Diocese of Kankan(Catholic Church), Église Protestante Évangélique de Guinée (Alliance World Fellowship),Assemblies of God.[12]
Transports[edit]
It is home to theKankan Airportand a river port. Kankan is the terminus of the lightduty narrow gauge railway fromConakry(traffic suspended since 1993). TheN1 highwayconnects the city withNzerekorein the south.
References[edit]
- ^"Commune de Kankan: MoryKolofonDiakité du RPG élu maire! ".conakryinfos.com(in French). 2018.Retrieved5 November2021.
- ^"Etat et Structure de la Population Recensement General de la Population et de l'habitation 2020"(PDF).Direction Nationale de la Statistique de Guinée(in French).Retrieved27 March2020.
- ^"Etat et Structure de la Population Recensement General de la Population et de l'habitation 2014"(PDF).Direction Nationale de la Statistique de Guinée(in French).Retrieved27 March2020.
- ^ab"Bref rappel historique de la fondation de la ville de Kankan par Daouda Kaba en 1690".KabaBachir.com.20 Jan 2017.Retrieved21 July2023.
- ^Massing, Andrew (1985)."The Mane, the Decline of Mali, and Mandinka Expansion towards the South Windward Coast"(PDF).Cahiers d'Études Africaines.25(97): 21–55.Retrieved16 July2023.
- ^Camara, Mohamed Saliou (29 May 2020)."The History of Guinea".Oxford Research Encyclopedias.Oxford, Oxfordshire:Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.626.ISBN978-0-19-027773-4.Retrieved21 July2023.
- ^Caillié, René (1830).Travels through Central Africa to Timbuctoo; and across the Great Desert, to Morocco, performed in the years 1824-1828 (Volume 1).London: Colburn & Bentley. pp.254–286.
- ^Quella-Villéger, Alain (2012).René Caillié, l'Africain: une vie d'explorateur, 1799-1838(in French). Anglet, France: Aubéron. pp. 71–75.ISBN978-2-84498-137-0.
- ^abPage, Willie F. (2005). Davis, R. Hunt (ed.).Encyclopedia of African History and Culture.Vol. IV (Illustrated, revised ed.). Facts On File. p. 201.
- ^"World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Kankan".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedJanuary 4,2024.
- ^"Kankan Climate Normals 1961–1990".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedJuly 6,2015.
- ^J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ‘‘Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices’’, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1279
10°23′N9°18′W/ 10.383°N 9.300°W
Capital:Kankan | ||
| Sub-prefectures |  | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
