This section is from the book "Chambers's Concise Gazetteer Of The World", by David Patrick. Also available from Amazon: Chambers's Concise Gazetteer Of The World.
Bam'mako, a trading town of Bambarra, on the Upper Niger, fortified by the French in 1883. Pop. 10,000.
Banagher, a town of King's county, on the Shannon, 18 miles SE. of Ballinasloe. Pop. 1114.
Banas, or Bunas, three rivers of India. - (1) In Rajputana, rising in the Aravalli Mountains, and flowing 300 miles NE. and SE. to the Cham-bal. - (2) A river also rising in the Aravalli Mountains, and flowing 180 miles SW. to the Runn of Cutch. - (3) In Chutia Nagpur, Bengal, flowing 70 miles N\V. to the Son, near Rampur.
Banat, any district or territory under a Ban or military frontier chief, but specially applied since 1718 to a part of Hungary which had no separate ban or governor, and was bounded by the Theiss, Danube, and Maros. It was formed into an Austrian crown-land in 1849, but was incorporated with Hungary in 1860.
Banbridge, a town in County Down, on the Bann, 76 miles N. of Dublin. It is a seat of the linen manufacture in all its stages. Pop. (1881) 5609; (1891) 4907; (1901) 5006.
Banbury, a town of Oxfordshire, on the Oxford Canal and the Cherwell, 23 miles N. of Oxford, and 78 NW. of London by rail. Its strong castle (c. 1125) was demolished during the Great Rebellion; and in 1469 the Yorkists were defeated in the vicinity. The town is still famous for its cakes and ale; and it manufactures webbing and agricultural implements. Till 1885 Banbury returned a member to parliament; and it is a municipal borough, whose boundaries were greatly extended in 1889. Pop. (1901) 12,967, barely one-third being in the town proper.
Banca, an island from 8 to 20 miles broad lying SE. of Sumatra, from which it is separated by the Strait of Banca. It forms a Dutch Residency, with an area of 4977 sq. m., and a pop. of about 95,000, one-fourth Chinese. Gold, iron ore, silver, lead, and amber are found, but tin is the chief mineral. The once dense forests have been terribly thinned for smelting purposes. The capital, Muntok, in the north-west part of the island, has a fort and 3000 inhabitants.
Banchory, a Kincardineshire village, on the Dee, 17 miles WSW. of Aberdeen. Pop. 1470.
Banda, chief town of a district in the United Provinces, India, on the Ken River, 95 miles SW. of Allahabad. It is a great mart for cotton. Pop. 22,974.
Banda Isles, 12 Dutch islands of the Moluccas, 50 miles to the south of Ceram. Area, 17 sq. m.; pop. 8000 (500 Europeans and half-castes). The chief production is the nutmeg. An active volcano, Gunong-Api (1744 feet), rises near the centre of the group, which the Dutch acquired in 1801-14.
Bandajan', a pass (14,854 feet) over the Himalayas, in Kashmir.
Banda Oriental. See Uruguay.
Ban-de-la-Roche, or Steinthal, a valley of Lower Alsace, in the Vosges Mountains, the scene of the labours of Oberlin.
Bandelkhand. See Bundelkhand.
Bandon, or Bandonbridge, a town of County Cork, on the Bandon, 20 miles SW. of Cork by rail. Founded in 1608 as a Protestant colony, it was incorporated by James I., and now belongs chiefly to the Duke of Devonshire. Till 1885 Bandon returned one member to the House of Commons. Pop. (1871) 6131; (1901) 2830. - The river Bandon rises in the Carberry Mountains, and after a course of 40 miles (15 navigable) forms at its mouth the harbour of Kinsale.
 
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