Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in continental Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Senegal is bordered by
Mauritania to
the north,
Mali to
the east,
Guinea to
the southeast and
Guinea-Bissau to
the southwest. Senegal nearly
surroundsThe Gambia, a country occupying a narrow sliver of land along the banks of the
Gambia River, which separates Senegal's southern region of
Casamance from the rest of the country. Senegal also shares a maritime border with
Cape Verde. Senegal's economic and political capital is
Dakar.
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.
The Marabouts prevailed in the early hours of the battle, but the Serer army held firm. In the latter parts of the battle, the Marabouts were defeated.
Maba Diakhou Bâ was killed and his body decapitated.
Damel-Teigne Lat Dior Ngoné Latyr Diop and Bourba Jolof Alboury Sainabou Njie fled. Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak was injured. Mama Gaolo Nyang was held prisoner. (Full article...)
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 5The
Serer of the
Senegambia's representation of the
universe. The three worlds : the invisible world, the terrestrial world and the nocturnal world.
Image 6The
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 7The 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 8The
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
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 10The 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.
Senegalese beauty Khoudia Diop calls herself the "
MelaninGoddess" on account of her breathtakingly
dark skin tone - and what a goddess she is!
”
—
Khoudia Diop [in]
Essence Magazine by Nikki Brown (2017) [in] Female First by Holly Mosley (2018), Senegalese model Khoudia Diop on
self-love and
beauty standards [in] Essence Magazine : Model Khoudia Diop aka 'Melanin Goddess' Has Some Very Good Advice For Her Younger Self by Nikki Brown (24 March 2017)–(
[1] Retrieved 13 July 2019) [in] Female First: True beauty: 13 models who are beacons for diversity by Holly Mosley (6 November 2018)–(
[2] Retrieved 13 July 2019)
Entries here consist of
Good and
Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.
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 27The
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 30Senegal map of Köppen climate classification (from Senegal)
Image 31« 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)
Image 32Arrival 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)
._19th_Century._Jung-Jung_From_The_Kingdom_of_Sine_(in_modern_day_Senegal).jpg)
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