A city of eastern Guinea on a tributary of the Niger River. It is the commercial center of a farming area. Population: 114,000.
Kankan
Dictionary:
Kan·kan (käN-käN')  |
A city of eastern Guinea on a tributary of the Niger River. It is the commercial center of a farming area. Population: 114,000.
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| Columbia Encyclopedia: Kankan |
Kankan (känkän', käNkäN'), city (1996 pop. 261,341), E Guinea, a port on the Milo River, a tributary of the Niger. It is the commercial center for a farm area where rice, sesame, corn, tomatoes, oranges, mangoes, and pineapples are grown. Diamonds are mined, and the national diamond exchange is there. Bricks and fruit juices are made in Kankan, which also has a tomato canning factory and a sawmill. The city is connected by rail with Conakry. Kankan was probably founded in the 18th cent. as a trade center that linked the Sudan region with the forest belt and the Atlantic coast. The W African Muslim leader Samori Touré began (c.1866) his career as a military head and empire builder in the Kankan district and in 1873 took Kankan itself. The French occupied the city in 1891. Kankan has a polytechnic institute, a center for research on rice cultivation, a teacher-training school, and the national police school.
| Wikipedia: Kankan |
| Kankan | |
|---|---|
| — Sub-prefecture and town — | |
  Kankan
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| Coordinates: 10°23′N 9°18′W / 10.383°N 9.3°W | |
| Country |  Guinea |
| Region | Kankan Region |
| Prefecture | Kankan Prefecture |
| Population (2009) | |
| - Total | 207,790 [1] |
Kankan (in Maninka: Kánkàn) is the largest city in Guinea in land area, and the third largest in population at 207,790 [2] (2009). The city is located on the Milo River in eastern Guinea and lying about 345 miles east of Conakry.
The population of the city is largely from the Mandinka ethnic group. Kankan serves as the capital and largest city of Kankan Prefecture and Kankan Region.
Contents |
History
Kankan was founded by the Mandinka people in the seventeenth century and became capital of the Baté Empire and an important trading centre, particularly for kola nuts. It was conquered by Samory Touré in 1881 and occupied by the French in 1891. The population of the city is predominantly from the Mandinka ethnic group and their language is widely spoken throughout the city.
Features
The town is known for its university (Université de Kankan), for its religious scholars and its mango trees. It is home to the Kankan Airport. It is an eleven hour drive from Conakry. It also has one of the oldest mosques in West Africa. The Mandingo cultural site Gberedou/Hamana is located about 40 km to the northeast.
Transport
Kankan is the terminus of the lightduty narrow gauge railway from Conakry. The N1 highway connects the city with Nzerekore in the south. In addition, the town is served by Kankan Airport.
References
External links
Coordinates: 10°23′N 9°18′W / 10.383°N 9.3°W
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Kankan Blues (1991 Album by Kante Manfila)
- Lancey (1994 Album by Oumou Dioubate)
- N'na Niwalé (1997 Album by Kante Manfila)
- Conakry (city, capital, Guinea)
