Dakar, Senegal

The coastline of Dakar with view of the Divinity Mosque
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosquee_de_la_divinite_Ouakam.jpg
Author: Popo le Chien


Dakar is the capital and largest city in Senegal. It covers 82.38 sq km (31.81 sq mi) on the Cap-Vert Peninsula, on the westernmost part of Senegal as well as the African continent and the Old World mainland. The city has a population of 1.1 million people (2012 estimate) within a metropolitanh area of 2.45 million people.

Human habitation on the Cap-Vert Peninsula has been recognized as early as the 15th century. When the Portuguese arrived and settled on the island of Gorée, which they used as a slave trading port, Cap-Vert was part of the Jolof Empire. Slave trading continued until 1815, when it was permanently abolished by the French.

Some time in the 17th century, a village called Ndakaaru was established. It is located across from the island of Gorée. In 1795, the Lebou people revolted against the local ruler of then Cayor province, and set up what the French called the Lebou Republic, with Ndakaaru as the capital. This was where the French in 1857 established a military post which they called Dakar.

Dakar was originally part of Goré, but was separated out in 1887. Then in 1902 it replaced Saint-Louis as the capital of French West Afirca, and went on to become the capital of independent Senegal today. It is best known as the finishing point for the Dakar Rally.

Dakar, Senegal
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dakar_-_Panorama_urbain.jpg
Author: Initsogan

Visiting Dakar

The Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport is the main gateway to Dakar and Senegal. It receives flights from Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Algiers, Bamako, Banjul, Bissau, Brussels, Cap Skirring, Casablanca, Conakry, Cotonou, Douala, Dubai, Freetown, Istanbul, Lagos, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Libreville, Lisbon, Lomé, Madrid, Milan, Niamey, Nouakchott, New York City, Ouagadougou, Paris, Praia, Rome, Tripoli, Tunis and Ziguinchor.

Dakar Cathedral
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dakar_cathedrale.jpg
Author: Manu25

Places of Interest in Dakar

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