KONTAGORA

kontagora, a province in the british protectorate of northern nigeria, on the east bank of the niger to the north of nupe and opposite borgu. it is bounded w. by the niger, s. by the province of nupe, e. by that of zaria, and n. by that of sokoto. it has an area of 14,500 sq. m. and a population estimated at about 80,000. at the time of the british occupation of northern nigeria the province formed a fula emirate. before the fula domination, which was established in 1864, the ancient pagan kingdom of yauri was the most important of the lesser kingdoms which occupied this territory. the fula conquest was made from nupe on the south and a tribe of independent and warlike pagans continued to hold the country between kontagora and sokoto on the north. the province was brought under british domination in 1901 as the result of a military expedition sent to prevent audacious slave-raiding in british protected territory and of threats directed against the british military station of jebba on the niger. the town of kontagora was taken in january of 1901. the emir ibrahim fled, and was not captured till early in 1902. the province, after having been held for a time in military occupation, was organized for administration on the same system as the rest of the protectorate. in 1903 ibrahim, after agreeing to take the oath of allegiance to the british crown and to accept the usual conditions of appointment, which include the abolition of the slave trade within the province, was reinstated as emir and the british garrison was withdrawn. since then the development of the province has progressed favourably. roads have been opened and kontagora connected by telegraph with headquarters at zungeru. british courts of justice have been established at the british headquarters, and native courts in every district. in 1904 an expedition reduced to submission the hitherto independent tribes in the northern belt, who had up to that time blocked the road to sokoto. their arms were confiscated and their country organized as a district of the province under a chief and a british assistant resident. kooringa [burra], a town of burra county, south australia on burra creek, 101 m. by rail n. by e. of adelaide. pop. (1901), 1994. it is the centre of a mining and agricultural district in which large areas are devoted to wheat-growing. the famous burra burra copper mine, discovered by a shepherd in 1844, is close to the town, while silver and lead ore is also found in the vicinity. kopenick (copenick), a town of germany, in the prussian province of brandenburg, on an island in the spree, 9 m. s.e. from berlin by the railway to furstenwalde. pop. (1905), 27,721. it contains a royal residence, which was built on the site of a palace which belonged to the great elector, frederick william. this is surrounded by gardens and contains a fine banqueting hall and a chapel. other buildings are a roman catholic and a protestant church and a teachers' seminary. the varied industries embrace the manufacture of glass, linoleum, sealing-wax and ink. in the vicinity is spindlersfeld, with important dye-works. kopenick, which dates from the 12th century, received municipal rights in 1225. shortly afterwards, it became the bone of contention between brandenburg and meissen, but, at the issue of the feud, remained with the former, becoming a favourite residence of the electors of brandenburg. in the palace the famous court martial was held in 1730, which condemned the crown-prince of prussia, afterwards frederick the great, to death. in 1906 the place derived ephemeral fame from the daring feat of a cobbler, one wilhelm voigt, who, attired as a captain in the army, accompanied by soldiers, whom his apparent rank deceived, took the mayor prisoner, on a fictitious charge of having falsified accounts and absconded with a considerable sum of municipal money. the "captain of kopenick" was arrested, tried, and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. see graf zu dohna, _kurfurstliche schlosser in der mark brandenburg_ (berlin, 1890).