Biafra - Meaning of "Biafra" and Location - Historical Maps

Historical Maps

Early modern maps of Africa from the 15th–19th centuries, drawn by European cartographers from accounts written by explorers and travellers, reveal some interesting information about Biafra:

  1. The original word used by the European travellers was not Biafra but Biafara, Biafar and sometimes also Biafares.
  2. The exact original region of Biafra is not restricted to Eastern Nigeria alone. According to the maps, the European travellers used the word Biafara to describe the entire region east of River Niger going down to the Mount Cameroon region, thus including Cameroon and a large area around Gabon. The word Biafara also appears on maps from the 18th century in the area around Gambia.

Maps indicating the word Biafara (sometimes also Biafares or Biafar) with corresponding year:

  • 1662
  • 1660
  • 1707
  • 1729

Maps from the 19th century indicating Biafra as the region around today's Cameroon:

  • 1843
  • Additional maps from the Michigan State University Map Collection

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