Dakar is situated on theCap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of mainland Africa.[6] Cap-Vert was colonized by thePortuguese in the early 15th century. The Portuguese established a presence on the island ofGorée off the coast of Cap-Vert and used it as a base for theAtlantic slave trade.France took over the island in 1677. Following the abolition of the slave trade and French annexation of the mainland area in the 19th century, Dakar grew into a major regional port and a major city of theFrench colonial empire. In 1902, Dakar replacedSaint-Louis as the capital ofFrench West Africa. From 1959 to 1960, Dakar was the capital of the short-livedMali Federation. In 1960, it became the capital of the independent Republic of Senegal. Dakar will host the2026 Summer Youth Olympics.
TheCap-Vert peninsula was settled no later than the 15th century, by theLebu people, an aquacultural subgroup of the Wolof ethnic group. The original villages—Ouakam, Ngor,Yoff and Hann—still constitute distinctivelyLebou neighborhoods of the city today. In 1444, thePortuguese reached the Bay of Dakar.[7][8][9] Peaceful contact was finally opened in 1456 byDiogo Gomes, and the bay was subsequently referred to as the "Angra de Bezeguiche" (after the name of the local ruler).[10] The bay of "Bezeguiche" would go on to serve as a critical stop for thePortuguese India Armadas of the early 16th century, where large fleets would routinely stop, both on their outward and return journeys from India, to repair, collect fresh water from the rivulets and wells along the Cap-Vert shore and trade for provisions with the local people for their remaining voyage.[10] (It was famously duringone of these stops, in 1501, where the Florentine navigatorAmerigo Vespucci began to construct his "New World" hypothesis about America.[11])
The Portuguese eventually founded a settlement on the island ofGorée (then known as the island of Bezeguiche or Palma), which by 1536 they began to use as a base for slave exportation. The mainland of Cap-Vert, however, was under control of theJolof Empire, as part of the western province ofCayor which seceded from Jolof in its own right in 1549. A new Lebou village, called Ndakaaru, was established directly across from Gorée in the 17th century to service the Europeantrading factory with food and drinking water. Gorée was captured by theUnited Netherlands in 1588, which gave it its present name (spelledGoeree, afterGoeree-Overflakkee in the Netherlands).[citation needed] The island was to switch hands between the Portuguese and Dutch several more times before falling to the English underAdmiral Robert Holmes on January 23, 1664, and finally to the French in 1677. Though under continuous French administration since,métis families, descended from Dutch and French traders and African wives, dominated the slave trade. The infamous "House of Slaves" was built at Gorée in 1776.
In 1795, the Lebou of Cape Verde revolted against Cayor rule. A new theocratic state, subsequently called the "Lebou Republic" by the French, was established under the leadership of the Diop, a Muslim clerical family originally from Koki in Cayor. The capital of the republic was established at Ndakaaru. In 1857, the French established a military post at Ndakaaru (which they called "Dakar") and annexed the Lebou Republic, though its institutions continued to function nominally. The Serigne (also spelled Sëriñ, "Lord") of Ndakaaru is still recognized as the traditional political authority of the Lebou by the Senegalese State today.[citation needed]
The slave trade was abolished by France in February 1794. However,Napoleon Bonaparte reinstated the slave trade in May 1802. The slave trade continued at Gorée until 1848, when it was finally abolished throughout all French territories. To replace trade in slaves, the French promoted peanut cultivation on the mainland. As the peanut trade boomed, tiny Gorée Island, whose population had grown to 6,000 residents, proved ineffectual as a port. Traders from Gorée decided to move to the mainland and a "factory" with warehouses was established inRufisque in 1840.[citation needed]
A public water well, 1899
Large public expenditure for infrastructure was allocated by the colonial authorities to Dakar's development. The port facilities were improved with jetties, a telegraph line was established along the coast toSaint-Louis and theDakar-Saint-Louis railway was completed in 1885, at which point the city became an important base for the conquest of theWestern Sudan.
Gorée, including Dakar, was recognised as a Frenchcommune in 1872. Dakar itself was split off from Gorée as a separatecommune in 1887. The citizens of the city elected their own mayor and municipal council, and helped send an elected representative to theNational Assembly in Paris. Dakar replaced Saint-Louis as the capital ofFrench West Africa in 1902.[12] A second major railroad, theDakar-Niger built from 1906 to 1923, linked Dakar to Bamako and consolidated the city's position at the head of France's West African empire.[citation needed] In 1929, thecommune of Gorée Island, now with only a few hundred inhabitants, was merged into Dakar.
In its colonial heyday Dakar was one of the major cities of the French Empire, comparable toHanoi orBeirut.[citation needed] French trading firms established branch offices there and industrial investments (mills, breweries, refineries, canneries) were attracted by its port and rail facilities. It was also strategically important to France, which maintained an important naval base and coaling station in its harbor, and which integrated it into its earliest air force and airmail circuits, most notably with the legendary Mermoz airfield (no longer extant).
In 1940, Dakar became involved in theSecond World War whenGeneral de Gaulle, leader of theFree French Forces, sought to make the city the base of his resistance operations. The object was to raise the Free French flag in West Africa, to occupy Dakar and thus start to consolidate the French resistance of its colonies in Africa. The plan had British naval support when fighting alone against the Axis powers. However, due to delays and the plan becoming known, Dakar had already come under the influence of the German controlled will of theVichy government. With the arrival of French naval forces under Vichy control and faced by stubborn defences onshore, de Gaulle's proposals were resisted, and the Battle of Dakar ensued off the coast lasting three days 23-25 September 1940, between the Vichy defences and the attack of the Free French and British navy. The enterprise was abandoned after appreciable naval losses. Although the initiative on Dakar failed, General de Gaulle was able to establish himself atDouala in the Cameroons which became the rallying point for the resistance of the Free French cause.[13][14][15]
Mural in Dakar commemorating theThiaroye massacre. It reads "Thiaroye '44, an unforgettable event".
In November 1944, West African conscripts in the French army mutinied against poor conditions at the Thiaroye camp, on the outskirts of the city. The mutiny was seen as an indictment of the colonial system and constituted a watershed for the nationalist movement. On 1 December 1944, French soldiers guarding the campopened fire on the West African soldiers. Accounts of the death toll range from around 35 (the official French account) to over 300 (army veterans active at the time).
Dakar was the capital of the short-livedMali Federation from 1959 to 1960, after which it became the capital of Senegal. The poet, philosopher and first President ofSenegalLéopold Sédar Senghor tried to transform Dakar into the "Sub-Saharan African Athens" (l'Athènes de l'Afrique subsaharienne),[16] as his vision was for it.
Dakar is a major financial centre, home to a dozen national and regional banks (including theCentral Bank of West African States (BCEAO) which manages the unifiedWest African CFA franc currency), and to numerous international organizations, NGOs and international research centers. Dakar has a largeLebanese community (concentrated in the import-export sector) that dates to the 1920s, a community of Moroccan businesspeople, as well as Mauritanian,Cape Verdean, and Guinean communities. The city is home to as many as 20,000 French expatriates.[citation needed] France still maintains an air force base at Yoff and the French fleet is serviced in Dakar's port.
Beginning 1978 and until 2007, Dakar was frequently the ending point of theDakar Rally.
Dakar has an ocean-influenced tropicalhot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification:BSh), with a short rainy season and a lengthy dry season. Dakar's rainy season lasts from July to October, while the dry season covers the remaining eight months. The city sees approximately 411 mm (16.2 in) of rainfall per year.
Dakar between December and May is usually very warm with daily temperatures around 25–28 °C (77.0–82.4 °F). Nights during this time of the year are warm, some 18–20 °C (64.4–68.0 °F). However, between May and November the city becomes decidedly hotter with daily highs reaching 29–31 °C (84.2–87.8 °F) and night lows a little bit above 23–25 °C (73.4–77.0 °F). Notwithstanding this hotter season, Dakar's weather is far from being so hot as experienced in inland Sahelian cities likeNiamey andN'Djamena, where temperatures hover above 36 °C (96.8 °F) for much of the year. Dakar is cooled year-round by sea breezes.
A 2019 paper published inPLOS One estimated that underRepresentative Concentration Pathway 4.5, a "moderate" scenario ofclimate change where global warming reaches ~2.5–3 °C (4.5–5.4 °F) by 2100, the climate of Dakar in the year 2050 would most closely resemble the current climate ofPraia inCape Verde. The annual temperature would increase by 1.5 °C (2.7 °F), and the temperature of the warmest and the coldest month by 1.4 °C (2.5 °F) and 1.6 °C (2.9 °F), respectively.[20][21] According toClimate Action Tracker, the current warming trajectory appears consistent with 2.7 °C (4.9 °F), which closely matches RCP 4.5.[22]
Moreover, according to the 2022IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, Dakar is one of 12 major African cities (Abidjan,Alexandria,Algiers,Cape Town,Casablanca, Dakar,Dar es Salaam,Durban,Lagos,Lomé,Luanda andMaputo) which would be the most severely affected by futuresea level rise. It estimates that they would collectively sustain cumulative damages of US$65 billion under RCP 4.5 and US$86.5 billion for the high-emission scenario RCP 8.5 by the year 2050. Additionally, RCP 8.5 combined with the hypothetical impact frommarine ice sheet instability at high levels of warming would involve up to US$137.5 billion in damages, while the additional accounting for the "low-probability, high-damage events" may increase aggregate risks to US$187 billion for the "moderate" RCP4.5, US$206 billion for RCP8.5 and US$397 billion under the high-end ice sheet instability scenario.[23] Since sea level rise would continue for about 10,000 years under every scenario of climate change, future costs of sea level rise would only increase, especially without adaptation measures.[24]
The city of Dakar is acommune (also sometimes known ascommune de ville), one of the 125 communes of Senegal. The commune of Dakar was created by the French colonial administration on 17 June 1887, by detaching it from the commune ofGorée. The commune of Gorée, created in 1872, was itself one of the oldest Western-style municipalities in Africa (along with the municipalities ofAlgeria andSouth Africa).
The commune of Dakar has been in continuous existence since 1887, being preserved by the new state of Senegal after independence in 1960, although its limits have varied considerably over time. The limits of the commune of Dakar have been unchanged since 1983. The commune of Dakar is ruled by a democratically elected municipal council (conseil municipal) serving five years, and a mayor elected by the municipal council. There have been 20 mayors in Dakar since 1887. The first black mayor wasBlaise Diagne, mayor of Dakar from 1924 to 1934. The longest-serving mayor wasMamadou Diop, mayor for 18 years between 1984 and 2002.
The commune of Dakar is also adepartment, one of the 45 departments of Senegal. This situation is quite similar toParis, which is both a commune and a department. However, contrary to French departments, departments in Senegal have no political power (no departmental assembly), and are merely local administrative structures of the central state, in charge of carrying out some administrative services as well as controlling the activities of the communes within the department.
The Assemblée nationale on the Plateau, the heart of old Dakar
In 1996, a massive reform of the administrative and political divisions of Senegal was voted by the Parliament of Senegal. The commune of Dakar, whose population approached 1 million inhabitants, was deemed too large and too populated to be properly managed by a central municipality, and thus on August 30, 1996, Dakar was divided into 19 communes d'arrondissement. Thesecommunes d'arrondissement were given extensive powers and are very much like regular communes. They have more powers than the arrondissements of Paris and are more akin to theLondon boroughs. The commune of Dakar was maintained above these 19 communes d'arrondissement, and it coordinates the activities of thecommunes d'arrondissement, much asGreater London coordinates the activities of the London boroughs. The 19 communes d'arrondissement belong to either of the four arrondissements of Dakar, and thesous-préfet of each arrondissement is in charge of controlling the activities of thecommunes d'arrondissement in his arrondissement.
Dakar Central Station
Thecommune d'arrondissement ofDakar-Plateau (34,626 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée, is the historical heart of the city, and most ministries and public administrations are located there. The densest and most populouscommune d'arrondissement is Médina (136,697 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée. Thecommune d'arrondissement ofYoff (55,995 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Almadies, is the largest one, while the smallest one is thecommune d'arrondissement ofÎle de Gorée (1,034 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée.
Dakar is one of the 14 régions of Senegal. The Dakarrégion encompasses the city of Dakar and all its suburbs along theCape Verde Peninsula. Its territory is thus roughly the same as the territory of the metropolitan area of Dakar. Since the administrative reforms of 1996, therégions of Senegal, which until then were merely local administrative structures of the central state, have been turned into full-fledged political units, with democratically elected regional councils, and regional presidents. They were given extensive powers, and manage economic development, transportation, or environmental protection issues at the regional level, thus coordinating the actions of the communes below them.
Other landmarks of the city include themedina quarter located inMédina commune. Médina is originally built as a township for local populace during the French colonial-era. Today it is a traditional commercial center packed with tailors' shops. The most notable street market is Soumbédioune, which is also a major tourist attraction. The quarter also housesDakar Grand Mosque at the heart of the commune, which is built in 1964 and one of the prominent landmarks of the city.[27][28]
Beach in Dakar
Dakar is flanked by four small islands, île de Yoff, Île de N'Gor,Îles de la Madeleine andÎle de Gorée. Île de N'Gor is on the northern shore ofN'Gor commune, with beaches providing attractions such as surfing. N'Gor commune also has other popular beach resorts such as Plage de N'Gor.[29] Île de Gorée, formerly a slave island, is today aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site which preserves the colonial era architectures and facilities. Some notable places on the island include the Gorée Memorial which is a memorial for the slaves, and theHouse of Slaves which is a museum dedicated to theAtlantic slave trade. Today, the island is also hosting the art scene of the hundreds of local artists who line up their works at the outdoor exhibitions.[30][31]
Some other notable places include Layen Mausoleum which entombs the founder of theLayene Sufi tariqa, Palais Présidentiel which is the seat of the government constructed in 1907,[32] Place de l'Indépendance which is the central square of Dakar,Dakar Cathedral, andCheikh Anta Diop University also known as theUniversity of Dakar, which was established in 1957.
Dakar was selected as the Capital of Islamic Culture for African Region for the year 2007 by theIslamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), honoring its Islamic heritage.[34] ISESCO and its parent organizationOrganization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have held several regional and international conferences in the city,[35] best known for adoption of Dakar Declaration in 1991 which aimed at fostering the cooperation between the member states.[36] Dakar is also known as the birthplace of theLayene Brotherhood, aSufitariqa founded bySeydina Mouhammadou Limamou Laye in 1883 at the commune of Yoff. Seydina is buried in the Layen Mausoleum which is among the major landmarks of Dakar.[37] Today, Layene Brotherhood is consisted mostly of theLebou people and based in the Cap-Vert area. It is also the third-biggest Sufi order in Senegal.
Prominent worshiping sites for Muslims in Dakar include the Grand Mosque of Dakar, built in 1964, which is situated at Allée Pape Gueye Fall of Medina, theMosque of Divinity, constructed in 1973, situated in Ouakam, with the characteristic triangular windows, and Omarienne Mosque withminarets topped by green orbs.[31][38]
InSenegal, the traditional culture is very centred around the idea of family. This even includes the way that they eat. When it is time to eat a typical meal, someone will say "kay lekk" which means 'come eat'. Everyone will come together and sit around the plate and eat with their hands.[39] Some famous dishes include Cebbu Jën (Tiéboudienne) and Yassa. The etiquette of people in Dakar is very simple but very vital. To not greet someone upon sight is to portray rudeness and oftentimes ignorance. Due to French colonialism, the children of Dakar have a unique school system. The school will get a break at about midday and return home to get some rest. Since the population is majority Muslim, there are numerous daily Islamic activities ongoing, such as participating in noon prayer at the nearest mosque and attending the local mosque on Fridays. Music has a big influence on the youth with famous artists like Daara J Family who use their voice to represent the problems in their communities.[40]
Dakar used to be the finishing point of theDakar Rally until 2007, before the event was moved toSouth America for the security concerns inMauritania.[43]
Dakar was set to host the 2022 edition of theYouth Summer Olympics, however, the games have been postponed to2026, it will be the first Olympic event to ever be held in Africa.[44]
TheTrain Express Regional Dakar-AIBD (TER) will connect Dakar withBlaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD). An initial 36 km will link Dakar to Diamniadio and a second phase of 19 km would connect Dakar to the Blaise Diagne airport. A total of 14 train stations will be served and the fastest end-to-end journey will take 45 minutes. The railway is expected to carry 115 000 passengers per day. The TER's first test run launched on 14 January 2019 and the first passenger train ran in December 2021.[45][46][47]
^Roger J., Banton O., Barusseau J.-P., Castaigne P., Comte J.-C., Duvail C., Nehlig P., Noël B. J., Serrano O., Travi Y.,Notice explicative de la cartographie multi-couches à 1/50 000 et 1/20 000 de la zone d’activité du Cap-Vert, Ministère des Mines, de l’Industrie et des PME, Direction des Mines et de la Géologie, Dakar, 245 p., 2009d.
^Dinis Dias doubled Cap-Vert in 1444, but it is unclear if he sailed into the bay itself.Álvaro Fernandes anchored at the uninhabited island of Goree and lured and captured two natives off a Lebou fishing canoe before being driven off. The large slaving fleet ofLançarote de Freitas anchored in the bay, but their attempts to reach the mainland shore were fended off by missile fire and took no captives. The subsequent fleets of Estêvão Afonso (1446) and Valarte (1447) stopped briefly at Goree, but were also fended off the shores and took no captives. In the aftermath, PrinceHenry the Navigator suspended all Portuguese expeditions beyond Cap-Vert for nearly a decade. There are no more recorded attempts until contact was made in 1456. (As reported in the 1453 chronicle ofGomes Eanes de Zurara)
^B.W. Diffie and G.D. Winius (1977)Foundations of the Portuguese empire, 1415–1580 Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, pp.83-85
^A. Teixeira da Mota (1946) "A descoberta da Guiné",Boletim cultural da Guiné Portuguesa, Vol. 1. No. 2 (Apr), p. 273-326.
^abA. Teixeira da Mota (1968) "Ilha de Santiago e Angra de Bezeguiche, escalas da carreira da India",Do tempo e da historia, Lisbon, v.3, pp.141-49.
^Vespucci's letter from Bezeguiche is reproduced in F.A. de Varnhagen (1865)Amerigo Vespucci, pp.78-82.
^Roman Adrian Cybriwsky,Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture, ABC-CLIO, US, 2013, p. 93
^Winston Churchill,The Second World War, Vol 2 Book II Chapter xxiv 'Dakar'.
^Martin Thomas, "The Anglo‐French divorce over West Africa and the limitations of strategic planning, June‐December 1940."Diplomacy and Statecraft 6.1 (1995): 252-278.
^Trisos, C.H., I.O. Adelekan, E. Totin, A. Ayanlade, J. Efitre, A. Gemeda, K. Kalaba, C. Lennard, C. Masao, Y. Mgaya, G. Ngaruiya, D. Olago, N.P. Simpson, and S. Zakieldeen 2022:Chapter 9: Africa. InClimate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, US, pp. 2043–2121
^L. Bigon (2009)A History of Urban Planning in Two West African Colonial Capitals: Residential Segregation in British Lagos and French Dakar, 1850–1930Lewiston, New York:Edwin Mellen Press.
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