Malta's Original Mr. Worldwide: The Journeys of Andrea Pietro De Bono (1821–1871)
Long before the age of air travel, Andrea Pietro De Bono — a merchant's son from Senglea, Malta, known in Sudan as Latif Effendi — traded, doctored and explored his way from the Grand Harbour to the heart of Africa, up the Nile and deep into the Sudan. This is the text version of an interactive map of his journey.
1. Where it all began — Senglea, Malta (7 November 1821)
Andrea Pietro De Bono was born on 7 November 1821 into a merchant family living at Two Gates Street in Senglea, one of the fortified cities ringing Malta's Grand Harbour. A harbour childhood placed him at one of the Mediterranean's busiest crossroads.
2. Learning in Egypt — Alexandria, Egypt (1830s)
The family moved to Alexandria, then a fast-growing Mediterranean port under Muhammad Ali. There the young Andrea studied medicine and chemistry and worked in a hospital, gaining practical skills he would later carry into the African interior.
3. The gateway to Africa — Cairo, Egypt (c. 1840s)
After the death of his parents, Andrea and his sister Battistina moved to Cairo — the great staging post for anyone heading up the Nile toward the Sudan and beyond.
4. Building an empire — Khartoum, Sudan (1848)
By 1848 De Bono had reached Khartoum, where the Blue and White Niles meet. He established a corn mill and a building-materials factory, later entered the ivory trade, and worked for the Governor of Sudan — adopting the name Latif Effendi.
5. Preparing for exploration — Blue Nile, near Khartoum (early 1850s)
Before his major expeditions, De Bono journeyed on the Blue Nile alongside the explorer Giovanni Miani — an apprenticeship in expedition logistics: boats, crews, provisioning and the rhythms of Nile travel.
6. The great river — White Nile corridor (1850s)
The White Nile was the highway of exploration. Almost every expedition De Bono mounted or supplied travelled this river southward from Khartoum, deep toward equatorial Africa.
7. The forgotten expedition — Sobat River (1854–1855)
One of De Bono's greatest journeys took him roughly 300 miles up the Sobat River in 1854–1855. His boats became stranded for six months, during which he gathered geographical observations. Modern research suggests this was among the earliest European explorations of the Sobat. (The upstream reach is an approximate historical location.)
8. Into unknown territory — Bonjak / Bondschak Country (mid-1850s)
According to Giovanni Miani's diary, De Bono reached the Bonjak (Bondschak) country, pushing further up this route than any previous European. (An approximate historical location.)
9. The base camp — Gondokoro, near modern Juba (1850s–1860s)
Gondokoro was a major trading station and the effective end of navigable water. De Bono built a commercial network here and supplied boats and logistics for later explorers; Giovanni Miani departed on De Bono's boats.
10. Closer to the source — Djiamoudj / Makedo Rapids (April 1853)
De Bono's people reached the Djiamoudj (Makedo) rapids in April 1853, gathering geographical information that pointed toward Lake Albert and the Semliki River — close to the great Victorian question of where the Nile truly began. (An approximate historical location.)
11. The mountains — Lokoya Mountains (1861)
In 1861 De Bono travelled into the Lokoya mountains alongside the French physician Alfred Peney, ranging beyond the river corridor into the highlands. (An approximate historical location.)
12. Controversy — Return to Khartoum, Sudan (1860s)
Back in Khartoum, De Bono was accused by the British Consul John Petherick of involvement in the slave trade. He was eventually acquitted, but the shadow of the accusation followed him.
13. The final journey — Cairo, Egypt (29 October 1871)
Having sold his Sudanese properties, De Bono returned to Cairo. He died there on 29 October 1871 and was buried in the city — far from the Senglea harbour where his story began.
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