Founded in 1823, this decaying African town is built on a European-style street plan. Georgetown's heyday was during the steamship era, when it was a trading center. It has a famous boys school and the country's main prison (they are not related). Though this may not sound particularly attractive, we liked the town's languid atmosphere.
About 20 mi/32 km northwest of Georgetown is Wassu, the site of 11 stone pillars thought to date from the eighth century. These stones vary from tiny stumps to 10-ft-/3-m-high monoliths, and very little is known about their origin. Georgetown is 125 mi/200 km east of Banjul.
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