Buchanan, Liberia
Encyclopedia
Buchanan is the third largest city in Liberia
, lying on Waterhouse Bay, part of the Atlantic Ocean
. It is referred to as Gbezohn in the local Bassa language
. As of the 2008 census, Buchanan has a population of 34,270. Of this, 16,984 were male and 17,286 female.
Named for Thomas Buchanan
, cousin of U.S. president James Buchanan
and first governor of Liberia, it is also the capital of Grand Bassa and lies 70 miles (112.7 km) southeast of Monrovia
, near the mouth of the Saint John River
. The town was popular with refugee
s during the Liberian Civil War
as it largely escaped the fighting. Fishing
is an important industry in the town. The town also has isolated beaches and lagoons.
. The emigrants named the settlement in honor of Elliott Cresson, a Philadelphia merchant and Pennsylvania Colonization Society founder who funded their voyage to Liberia.
In June 1835, Bassa tribal members destroyed the Americo-Liberian
colony of Port Cresson.
A month later, a new colony called Bassa Cove was founded by black Quakers of the Young Men’s Colonization Society of Pennsylvania. The Bassa Cove colony was incorporated into Liberia on April 1, 1839.
. Rubber and palm oil once were also shipped out of the Port Of Buchanan. Africa’s first iron-ore washing and pelletizing plant was opened in Buchanan in 1968.
Buchanan Renewable Energies, a firm based in Toronto
, Canada
that processes chips from rubber tree trunks into biofuel
, has begun operations in the city.
According to the managing-director of Liberia's National Port Authority, Togba Ngangana, Chinese investors have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a manufacturing zone outside the southern port of Buchanan which would produce 50,000 jobs. This is in addition to an undisclosed amount of low-interest loans, debt relief and other incentives.
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, lying on Waterhouse Bay, part of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. It is referred to as Gbezohn in the local Bassa language
Bassa language
The Bassa language is a Kru language spoken by about 350,000 people in Liberia and 5,000 in Sierra Leone by Bassa people.It has an indigenous script, Vah, developed before 1907 by Thomas Narvin Lewis while he was studying at Syracuse University in the United States. The first primer was printed...
. As of the 2008 census, Buchanan has a population of 34,270. Of this, 16,984 were male and 17,286 female.
Named for Thomas Buchanan
Thomas Buchanan (Governor of Liberia)
Thomas Buchanan was the second governor of Liberia and a cousin of James Buchanan, President of the United States. He came to Liberia as the envoy of the American Colonization Society in the 1830s. He worked first as an administrator in Grand Bassa, which later had its capital named Buchanan in...
, cousin of U.S. president James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
and first governor of Liberia, it is also the capital of Grand Bassa and lies 70 miles (112.7 km) southeast of Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
, near the mouth of the Saint John River
Saint John River (Liberia)
The Saint John River is one of the six main rivers in the West African nation of Liberia. With its headwaters in neighboring Guinea, the river flows generally southwest through Liberia and empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Bassa Cove near Edina in Grand Bassa County...
. The town was popular with refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s during the Liberian Civil War
Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War was an internal conflict in Liberia running from 1989 until 1996. The conflict killed over 200,000 people and eventually led to the involvement the Economic Community of West African States and of the United Nations...
as it largely escaped the fighting. Fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
is an important industry in the town. The town also has isolated beaches and lagoons.
History
In December 1832, the Port Cresson colony was founded in what is now Buchanan, by black Quakers of the New York and Pennsylvania Colonization Societies.. It was established as a settlement for black emigrants from the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The emigrants named the settlement in honor of Elliott Cresson, a Philadelphia merchant and Pennsylvania Colonization Society founder who funded their voyage to Liberia.
In June 1835, Bassa tribal members destroyed the Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people who are of African American, West Indian, and liberated African descent...
colony of Port Cresson.
A month later, a new colony called Bassa Cove was founded by black Quakers of the Young Men’s Colonization Society of Pennsylvania. The Bassa Cove colony was incorporated into Liberia on April 1, 1839.
Economy
Buchanan is the port for the dormant railway to the iron ore mines at NimbaNimba County
Nimba is a county in the north-central portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has six districts. Sanniquellie serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring , the largest in the nation...
. Rubber and palm oil once were also shipped out of the Port Of Buchanan. Africa’s first iron-ore washing and pelletizing plant was opened in Buchanan in 1968.
Buchanan Renewable Energies, a firm based in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that processes chips from rubber tree trunks into biofuel
Biofuel
Biofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
, has begun operations in the city.
According to the managing-director of Liberia's National Port Authority, Togba Ngangana, Chinese investors have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a manufacturing zone outside the southern port of Buchanan which would produce 50,000 jobs. This is in addition to an undisclosed amount of low-interest loans, debt relief and other incentives.
Notable residents
- Joseph James CheesemanJoseph James CheesemanJoseph James Cheeseman was the 12th President of Liberia. He was born in Edina, Grand Bassa County, Liberia and was elected three times on the True Whig ticket...
, the 12th President of Liberia, was born in Edina, Grand Bassa County, north of Buchanan - Daniel Edward HowardDaniel Edward HowardDaniel Edward Howard was the 16th President of Liberia, serving from 1912 to 1920. Born in the town of Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, he worked his way up through the civil service to become secretary of the True Whig Party, the country's only political party at the time.Howard was elected...
, who served as president of LiberiaLiberiaLiberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
from 1912 to 1920, was born in Buchanan - Joakim SundströmJoakim SundströmJoakim Sundström is a Swedish sound editor, sound designer and musician.Born in the Baltic city of Gävle in Sweden and brought up in Buchanan, Liberia on the West African Atlantic coast. He collaborates regularly with British director Michael Winterbottom. Married to British painter Dee Ferris....
, Swedish sound editor, sound designer and musician, was brought up in Buchanan
See also
- Doris Williams StadiumDoris Williams StadiumDoris Williams Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Buchanan, Liberia. It is currently used mostly for football matches, on club level by Mighty Barrolle of the Liberian Premier League. The stadium has a capacity of 3,000 spectators....
- Railway stations in Liberia
- Didia new port proposed for iron ore exports.