Kankan

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Kankan
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subdivision_type = Country
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subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_name1 = Kankan Region
subdivision_type2 = Prefecture
subdivision_name2 = Kankan Prefecture
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population_as_of =2006
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population_total = 197,108
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latd=10|latm=23|lats= |latNS=N
longd=9|longm=18|longs=|longEW=W
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Kankan is the second largest city in Guinea, located on the River Milo in eastern Guinea and lying about 300 miles east of the nation's captal Conakry. Population 197,108 (2008 est). [ [http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&geo=-89 World Gazetteer] , Retrieved on June 16 2008]

Kankan serves as the capital and largest city of Kankan Prefecture and Kankan Region. The population of the city is predominated by the Mandinka ethnic group.

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 1879 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.

Transport

Kankan is the terminus of the lightduty narrow gauge railway from Conakry.

References

External links

* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/GV/14/Kankan.html FallingRain Map - elevation = 370m (Red dots are railways)]