Bussa (town)
Encyclopedia
Bussa was the capital of northern Borgu
, in northern Nigeria
. It was the farthest navigable point on the Niger River
, just above the rapids. The town site is now covered by Lake Kainji, which was created in 1968 with the construction of the Lake Kainji dam
. The town was re-located to what is now called New Bussa
.
In 1806, British explorer Mungo Park
drowned while on his second expedition to trace the course of the Niger River. During 1894-1898 its possession was disputed by Great Britain and France. In 1897, Bussa became part of the British Niger Coast protectorate.
The French Occupation of Bussa and Borgu has been recorded in the book Campaigning on the upper Nile and Niger by Seymour Vandeleur (i.e. Cecil Foster Seymour), published in 1898 (Methuen & co.,).
Richard Lander (1804-1834) an explorer relates that after the death of Mungo Park the inhabitants of Bussa were attacked by a raging epidemic, which was regarded as a visitation from heaven. "Take care not to touch the whites lest you perish like the people..."
Borgu
Borgu was a 15th-16th century state in West Africa, partitioned between the Great Britain and France by the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. It lies in what is now Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.People of Borgu were known as Bariba and Borgawa....
, in northern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. It was the farthest navigable point on the Niger River
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
, just above the rapids. The town site is now covered by Lake Kainji, which was created in 1968 with the construction of the Lake Kainji dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
. The town was re-located to what is now called New Bussa
New Bussa
New Bussa is a town in Niger State, Nigeria. It is the new site of Bussa after the Kainji Lake dam set the previous location underwater. As of 2007 New Bussa had an estimated population of 24,449....
.
In 1806, British explorer Mungo Park
Mungo Park (explorer)
Mungo Park was a Scottish explorer of the African continent. He was credited as being the first Westerner to encounter the Niger River.-Early life:...
drowned while on his second expedition to trace the course of the Niger River. During 1894-1898 its possession was disputed by Great Britain and France. In 1897, Bussa became part of the British Niger Coast protectorate.
The French Occupation of Bussa and Borgu has been recorded in the book Campaigning on the upper Nile and Niger by Seymour Vandeleur (i.e. Cecil Foster Seymour), published in 1898 (Methuen & co.,).
Richard Lander (1804-1834) an explorer relates that after the death of Mungo Park the inhabitants of Bussa were attacked by a raging epidemic, which was regarded as a visitation from heaven. "Take care not to touch the whites lest you perish like the people..."
External links
- Nigeria Travel - see Kainji National Park
- Reclus, Elisée, The Earth and Its Inhabitants ...: West Africa (D. Appleton and Company: 1892)