The Principality of Bethio (also spelled Bequio, Bekio, Bitio, Bétio or Beetyo) was a small

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic ( constitutional monar ...

located for centuries along the lower

Senegal River ,french: Fleuve Sénégal) , name_etymology = , image = Senegal River Saint Louis.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = Fishermen on the bank of the Senegal River estuary at the outskirts of Saint-Louis, Senega ...

valley, on the border between modern

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

and

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

, in the northeast of

Biffeche Biffeche or Bifeche is an area of Senegal centred on the town of Savoigne, around 30 kilometres north-east of the major coastal city of Saint-Louis. Low-lying and largely flat, the region has Fula, or ''Peulh''; in ff, Fulɓe. Serer-Ndut peopl ...

. In the 18th century it was also called the "Royaume d'Oral"Boobihbincreess.lkkok. Its capital was at Poum, then moved to N'Dombo, and finally moved to Ross, Senegal in the 19th century (called Ross Béthio since then). The original, fertile farmlands of Bethio are in a region just east of the

Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary The Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (french: Parc national des oiseaux du Djoudj, ) lies on the southeast bank of the Senegal River in Senegal, in northern Biffeche, north east of St-Louis. It provides a range of wetland habitats which prove ve ...

. In the 1720s, the Brak (king) of Oualo (

Waalo Walo ( wo, Waalo) was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what are now Senegal and Mauritania. It included parts of the valley proper and areas north and south, extending to the Atlantic Ocean. To the north were Moorish emirat ...

) was Erim M'Bagnick (Yérim Mbañik) and Béquio Malicouri king of the ''Royaume d'Oral'' was his vassal. The latter appears to have been succeeded by Fara Coro. In the 18th century the most famous "Prince Bethio" was Maalixuri (Malichouri) (Malikhuri Diop ) who was legendary for his cleverness, changes of strategy, and defiance in disputes with the Kingdom of

and with the French at

Saint-Louis, Senegal Saint Louis or Saint-Louis ( wo, Ndar), is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially ...

. Today, Abdoulaye Diop, the current

Prince Bethio A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, lives at Ross-Bethio where he is a Senegalese political leader.

Notes

*The name also appears as Béco and appears synonymous with the ''Island of Becos'' in the river delta. It has been suggested that this is the island nowadays known as Baba Gueye.

References

*Barry, Boubacar. ''Le royaume du Waalo - Le Senegal avant la conquete''. Karthala, 1985. *V. Monteil. ''Esquisses sénégalaises''. Dakar, IFAN, 1966, p. 34-35

External links

Indigenous chief Béquio Malicouri''Béco'' referenceArea Map
Former monarchies Geography of Senegal History of Senegal Kingdoms of Senegal French West Africa {{Senegal-geo-stub