Farim River

The Farim is a river of Guinea-Bissau also known as the Cacheu along its lower length. Its total length is about 257 km. One of its major tributaries is the Canjambari River.

Its headwaters are near the northern border of the country, north of Contobeul and close to a bend of the Geba River. It runs west, by the town of Farim and close to Bigenè, and broadens into an estuary on whose south shore the town of Cacheu may be found.

It is navigable to large (2,000-ton) ships for about 97 km in, and to smaller vessels much further; it was an important route for commerce.

Coordinates: 12°11′16″N 16°18′53″W / 12.18778°N 16.31472°W / 12.18778; -16.31472

Cacheu

Cacheu is a town in northwestern Guinea-Bissau, lying on the Cacheu River. Its population was estimated to be 9,849 as of 2008.

History and landmarks

The town of Cacheu is situated in territory of the Papel people. The name is of Bainuk origin: "i.e. Caticheu, meaning 'the place where we rest'."

Cacheu was one of the earliest European colonial settlements in sub-saharan Africa, due to its strategic location on the Cacheu river. Cacheu developed a European/Afro-European population from the late fifteenth century through informal settlement of Cape Verdian and Portuguese traders, adventurers and outcasts (lancados). The authorities in mainland Portugal also sent to Cacheu degredados - people condemned to exile for a variety of offences.

For most of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Cacheu was the official slave trading point for the Portuguese in the Upper Guinea region - the point at which the Portuguese crown endeavoured to ensure that duties on all slaves exported were paid.

Notable buildings in Cacheu include the Portuguese-built 16th century fort, dating from the period when Cacheu was a centre for the slave trade.