Senegal is the westernmost country in the mainland of the Old World, or Afro-Eurasia. It owes its name to the Senegal River, which borders it to the east and north. The climate is typically Sahelian, though there is a rainy season. Senegal covers a land area of almost 197,000 square kilometres (76,000 sq mi) and has a population of around 18 million.0 The state is a unitarypresidential republic; since the country's foundation in 1960, it has been recognized as one of the most stable countries on the African continent. On the 2023 V-Dem Democracy Indices, Senegal is ranked 52nd in electoral democracy worldwide and 4th in electoral democracy in Africa.
The state was formed as part of the independence of French West Africa from French colonial rule. Because of this history, French is the official language, but it is understood by only a minority of the population. Over 30 languages are spoken in Senegal. Wolof is the most widely spoken one, with 80% of the population speaking it as a first or second language, acting as Senegal's lingua franca alongside French. Like other African nations, the country includes a wide mix of ethnic and linguistic communities, with the largest being the Wolof, Fula, and Serer people. Senegalese people are predominantly Muslim.
As of 2013 passenger services in Mali were only being offered three days between Bamako and Kayes via Kati and Diamou. There have been no international passenger trains in operation since 2010. (Full article...)
Image 1The flag of Senegal (French: le drapeau du Sénégal) is a tricolour consisting of three vertical green, yellow and red bands charged with a five-pointed green star at the centre. Adopted in 1960 to replace the flag of the Mali Federation, it has been the flag of the Republic of Senegal since the country gained independence that year. The present and previous flags were inspired by French Tricolour, which flew over Senegal until 1960.
Image 2The rare of the Third Millennium Gate monument in Médina, Dakar, Senegal. On the left is the Seydou Nourou Tall mosque — named after Seydou Nourou Tall (1862 - 1980) — son of El Hadj Umar Tall. Pierre Atepa Goudiaby was the architect of the Millennium Gate.
Credit: Llanta. Lithographer, Abbot P. David Boilat, author of text in his book Esquisses sénégalaises (1853). Source: cote : Gallica, bnf.fr - Réserve DT 549.2 B 67 M Atlas - planche n °5 - Notice n° : FRBNF38495418 - (Illustrations de Esquisses sénégalaises). Uploader to Wiki Commons Patricia.fidi More about Ndaté Yalla Mbodj...
Image 6The star Yoonir, symbol of the Universe in Serer religion and Cosmogony. The Serer people are one of the main ethnic groups of Senegal, and are also found in The Gambia and Mauritania. The peak of the star (top point) represents their Supreme Deity (Roog). The other four points represent the cardinal points of the Universe. The crossing of the lines ("bottom left" and "top right", and "top left" and "bottom right") pinpoints the axis of the Universe that all energies pass. The top point is "the point of departure and conclusion, the origin and the end". Among the Serers who cannot read or write the Latin alphabet, it is very common for them to sign official documents with the star of Yoonir, as the star also represents "good fortune and destiny". Yoonir also represents the Serer people and their precolonial Kingdom of Sine.
Image 7The Senegambian stone circles (Wassu section) believed by archaeologists and historians to be built by the Serer people of the Senegambia region. The Senegambia stone circles are the largest concentration of stone circles seen anywhere in the world according to UNESCO. They are sacred burial grounds and a place of ritual offerings (kuur in Serer).
Image 9The African Renaissance Monument (French: Le Monument de la Renaissance Africaine) is a 49 meter tall bronze statue located on top of one of the twin hills known as Collines des Mamelles, outside Dakar, Senegal. Built overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the Ouakam suburb, the statue was designed by the Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby after an idea presented by president Abdoulaye Wade and built by Mansudae Overseas Projects, a company from North Korea. Site preparation on top of the 100-meter high hill began in 2006, and construction of the bronze statue began 3 April 2008. Originally scheduled for completion in December 2009, delays stretched into early 2010, and the formal dedication occurred on 4 April 2010, Senegal's "National Day", commemorating the 50th anniversary of the country's independence from France. It is the tallest statue in Africa.
Image 10The Serer of the Senegambia's representation of the universe. The three worlds : the invisible world, the terrestrial world and the nocturnal world.
And so, for outsiders, Africa today tends to conjure up images of nonstop civil wars, impoverished people, diabolical dictators, rampant disease, and seemingly endless despair. To be sure, it's a generalization, but it is nevertheless based on reality in some places. But then there's Senegal.
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— Debbie Nevins, Elizabeth Berg, and Ruth Wan, Senegal, Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC (2018), p. 6 [1]
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An 1890 map of the island
Carabane, also known as Karabane, is an island and a village located in the extreme south-west of Senegal, in the mouth of the Casamance River. This relatively recent geological formation consists of a shoal and alluvium to which soil is added by accumulation in the branches and roots of the mangrove trees which cover most of the island. Along with the rest of Ziguinchor Region, Carabane has a tropical climate, cycling between a dry season and a wet season. The island was once considered an arid location where no useful plants were likely to grow, but it now supports several types of fruit tree, the most common of which are mangos and oranges. Although the nearby Basse Casamance National Park and Kalissaye Avifaunal Reserve have been closed for years because of the Casamance Conflict, Carabane has continued to attract ornithologists interested in its wide variety of birds. Various species of fish are plentiful around the island, but there are very few mammals.
The earliest known inhabitants of the island were the Jola, the ethnic group which is still the most populous on the island. The Portuguese were active in the region from the 16th century onwards; however, they did not linger on "Mosquito Island", the mosquitoes and black flies convincing them to establish their trading post in the town of Ziguinchor instead in 1645. On January 22, 1836, the island was ceded to France by the village leader of Kagnout in return for an annual payment of 196 francs. A series of treaties between the French and the leaders of the local peoples ensued; however, the inhabitants of Carabane did not recognize the authority of the treaties imposed upon them, resulting in lootings and abductions among French rice farmers by the Karoninka people. In 1869, Carabane became autonomous, but it merged with Sédhiou in 1886. Since World War II, the population of the island has gradually declined for a variety of reasons including periods of drought, the Casamance Conflict and, more recently, the sinking of the ferry Joola in 2002. Much of the village's ability to trade and receive tourists was lost until 2014, when MV Aline Sitoe Diatta resumed ferry services to the island. (Full article...)
The King of Sine Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof fully dressed in his ceremonial robe and mounting a horse. In his left hand, it looks like he is holding the flag of Sine.
There is no consensus regarding the exact date that Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb succeeded to the throne. According to some, he reigned from 1898 to 1924, which correlates with the written sources available at the time. Other historians propose that, he reigned from 1897 or 1898 to 1923. This version agrees pretty much with the oral tradition of the Serer people. According to Serer tradition, the king was very ill before his death and ruled for 27 winters (27 years) before his successor - Maad a Sinig Mahecor Joof succeeded to the throne. When the King died, there was a period of mourning and it took a little while to prepare for the Coronation ceremony of Maad a Sinig Mahecor Joof according to Serer custom and tradition. Maad Mahecor Joof ascended to the throne in 1924, more precisely, according to some, on 28 January 1924. Regarding the year Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof died, there is consensus that it was in 1923, more specifically on 21 December 1923 at Diakhao. (Full article...)
Image 35Arrival of Blaise Diagne, Deputy for Senegal, High Commissioner of the Government for the recruitment of black troops in Dakar in March 1918 (from History of Senegal)
Image 36French slave traders in Gorée, 18th century (from Senegal)
Image 37The Portuguese Empire was the first European power to colonize Senegal, beginning with the arrival of Dinis Dias in 1444 at Gorée Island and ending in 1888, when the Portuguese gave Ziguinchor to the French. (from Senegal)
Image 40« Plan de l'isle de Gorée avec ses deux forts et le combat que nous avons rendu le premier du mois de novembre 1677 » (from History of Senegal)
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