Rivers & landmarks · —
St Paul River
The principal river of the western interior, and the artery of Dei, Gola and Kpelle trade.
Biography
Rising in the Guinea highlands and reaching the sea just north of Cape Mesurado, the St Paul carried canoe traffic well inland and defined the settlement pattern of the peoples along it.
Its rapids limited navigation above a certain point, which concentrated exchange at the break-of-bulk towns — the reason those towns became politically significant.
Historical significance
The geography that made the Mesurado coast worth contesting.
Timeline
- 1461Charted by Portuguese voyages
- 1821Its lower reaches central to the Ducor Contract
On the map
Associated with St Paul River. Open the historical atlas.
Related entries
References
- ACS correspondence; Admiralty charts.
Suggested reading
- Anderson (1870), on river and road transport.