St. Paul
St. Paul is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 7.21°, -9.81°
About St. Paul
The Saint Paul River is a river of western Africa. Its headwaters are in southeastern Guinea. Its upper portion in Guinea is known as the Diani River or Niandi River, and forms part of the boundary between Guinea and Liberia. It is known locally as the Du by the Gola people in Liberia.
The river then enters Liberia about 50 km (31 mi) north of Gbarnga and crosses Liberia in a southwesterly direction. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Mesurado in Monrovia near Bushrod Island, separating Monrovia from its suburb Brewerville.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Saint Paul River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
St. Paul in Depth
History
The river was named by Portuguese navigators in the 15th century, who first sighted the river on St. Paul's feast day.
The river became important for the slave trade: Robert Bostock established a factory here.
Because the soil around Monrovia, Liberia was poor and the coastal areas were covered in dense jungle, many early African-American emigrants to Liberia in the 19th century moved up to the nearby St. Paul River, where they found land suitable for agriculture.
There they established small settlements. Also, American Lutheran missionaries set up the Muhlenberg Mission Station along the river, where they taught children various academics, technical/agricultural skills (especially the cultivation of coffee), and catechism.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Saint Paul River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
St. Paul: Key Facts
| Length | 450 km |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | 21,900 km² |
| Mouth | Atlantic Ocean |
Facts from Wikidata Q1167772 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
St. Paul: Quick Answers
- Where is St. Paul?
- St. Paul is located in Liberia and Guinea, at 7.2117° N, 9.8133° W.
- Are there dams on the St. Paul?
- No dam on the St. Paul is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.