I am passionate about history, especially the history of geographical explorations and colonialism.
Written by Chris Dunbar. All pictures are copyright by Chris Dunbar. Ruanga, 2012: Some pictures from Ruanga a settlement that was excavated in the 1960’s and it was found to have been inhabited in the 1500’s to the end of the 1650’s. Native black africans, but what is interesting is that perhaps, according to Hugh […]
Written by Chris Dunbar. All pictures are copyright by Chris Dunbar. The trip to find the site of Makaha was via the town of Mutoko and then on a dirt road for 90 minutes into the growth point of Makaha. Once we left the growth point we had to resort to four wheel driving as […]
Written by Chris Dunbar. All pictures are copyright by Chris Dunbar. The Fort of Luanze, where the Portuguese hold a market, is in the lands of Mocaranga, forty leagues from Tete…..this fort has a church, served by a dominican friar who administrates the sacraments to the christians who dwell there or pass through. Pedro Barreto […]
Written by Chris Dunbar. All pictures are copyright by Chris Dunbar. This site is scattered over a very wide area and was a large settlement (Dambarare covers about 6 square km’s), one of the largest Earthworks numbered 2 was flooded when the Jumbo Mine Dam was built, a great shame as while a little excavation […]
Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. The WIC (West-Indische Compagnie) Dutch West India Company was a Dutch trading company shaped after the example of the VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie – Dutch East India Company). On June 3, 1621 it was granted a charter for the ‘right on shipping and trade’ and […]
Text and Photos by Jones Matos da Silva Bittangabee Bay is located in Ben Boyd National Park to the south of the coastal town of Eden along the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. These ruins are claimed by Kenneth McIntyre to be of Portuguese origin. I drove there last month and took me 8 […]
Written by Peter Reynders There have been a number of early European based ‘monopoly companies’ trading in Asia. The combined impact of the Portuguese Estado da India, the first practitioner of the monopoly product principle, the Muscovy, the Ostend, the Swedish and the English East India Companies, the VOC (Dutch East India Company) and the many […]
Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. Located south-east of Grande Terre (New Caledonia), the Isle of Pines is a small island full of natural wonders, endless white beaches and crystal clear water, caves and caverns, rich coral reef, natural wonders like the natural pool (piscine naturelle) with seawater, inhabited by a […]
Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. This fort is situated between La Foa and Bourail, 124 kilometers north of Nouméa. In 1871 a group of 25 convicts, 2 wardens, 3 gendarmes and the head of the topographical department set up a camp on the left bank of La Foa river near […]
Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. In the early 19th century Russian fur traders established trading centers from Siberia into the North American subcontinent, Russian cargo vessels regularly transecting the northern Pacific Ocean. In January 1815 a Russian-American Company vessel, named “Bering”, that traded furs for food throughout the Hawaiian Islands, […]
Written by Dietrich Köster German-Micronesia – also called “Island Territory” of German New Guinea – is the far-flung island world north of the equator in the Western Central Pacific and was up to 1914/1920 the northern part of German New Guinea, supplemented by the island of Nauru, lying just south of the equator. The land […]
Written by Marco Ramerini Under Costruction… INDIA: GUJARAT MAHARASHTRA Vengurla, Wingurla: Netherlands: trading office and fort 1638 – ? Source: Disney, A. “Twilight of the pepper empire” KARNATAKA Mangalore, Mangalor: KERALA Cochin: (Cochim, Cochin, Kochin, Couchyn, Couchin, Coutchin) Netherlands: 7/8 Jan. 1663 – 20 Oct. 1795 to the English Vypin: (Vypin, Baipin, Waipin, Vaipin) Ajengo: Netherlands: factory [divider] […]
Written by Marco Ramerini Under Costruction… INDONESIA: Batavia: Netherlands: 1619 – Poelo Gontong (Sumatra): Netherlands: ? – 1765 On the tiny island of Poelo Gontong, in east Sumatra, the Company set up a guard post even before the Siak area had been conquered. This military outpost soon acquired a reputation as an unhealthy place with […]
Written by Marco Ramerini SRI LANKA: WEST COAST (North of Colombo) Colombo: (Colombo, Columbo, Calamba, Kolombo, Colombe) (6°56′ N – 79°51′ E) Hultsdorf: (Hulffsdorp, Hulfsdorp, Hulftsdorp, Hulsdorp, Hulstsdorp) Kasteel Netherlands: 12 May 1656 – 16 Feb 1796 British: 16 Feb 1796 – Sources: Brohier “Links between Sri Lanka and The Netherlands: a book of Dutch […]
Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. COLOMBIA Santa Marta: Netherlands: 16 Feb. 1630 – 21/22 Feb. 1630 abandoned to Spain Goslinga “The Dutch in the Caribbean and on the Wild Coast 1580 – 1680” VENEZUELA: Punta de Araya: Goslinga “The Dutch in the Caribbean and on the Wild Coast 1580 – 1680” Isla […]
Written by Marco Ramerini USA CONNECTICUT: Fort Goed Hope (Hartford): Fort Goed Hope, Fort Huis ter Hope DELAWARE: Prinseneiland, Moordenaarseiland (Murderer’s Island, Prince’s Island): Fort Wilhelmus Fort Casimir (Newcastle): Nieuw Amstel, Fort Nieuwer Amstel, Fort Drie-eenheid Altona, Altena (Wilmington): Fort Christina, Fort Altena Blommaerts Kil, Horekil, Whorekill, Hoerenkill: Compagniesfort, Compagniesfort Whorekill Swaenendael (Lewes): MAINE: Pentagouet: […]
Written by Marco Ramerini BANGLA DESH: Dhecca, Decca (Dhaka): Netherlands: trading office Until 1704 Dhaka was the seat of the Nawab of Bengal. From 1664 the Nawab functioned as the viceroy of Bengal. He sent an emissary to the administration of the Company in Batavia requesting aid in his battle against the Arakan. Both the […]
Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. PUERTO RICO San Juan de Puerto Rico: Netherlands: Sep. 1625 – 2 Nov. 1625 abandoned to Spain The Dutch occupied only the town and the fort of Canuela at the bay entrance. The fort of Canuela is retaken by the Spanish after three weeks. The […]
Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster. YEMEN Aden: Netherlands: trading office: August 1620- November/December 1620 On 22 August 1620 the Dutch ship “‘T Wapen van Zeelandt” reached Aden; here the Dutch immediately rented a house. When the ship left Aden, five servants and a supply of goods (worth about 42.000 guilders) were […]
Written by Marco Ramerini MAURITANIA: Arguin: (20°36’N – 16°27’W) Netherlands: 1633 – 1 Sep. 1678 to France (1 Sep. 1678 – Sep. 1678) abandoned (1678 – 1685) to Brandenburg (5 Oct. 1685 – 9/10 Mar. 1721) to France (10 Mar. 1721 – 11 Jan. 1722) Netherlands: 11 Jan. 1722 – 20 Feb. 1724 to France (20 […]