Dakar 44251 224432587 2008-07-08T20:38:42Z T L Miles 1752696 Reverted 2 edits by [[Special:Contributions/117.96.145.155|117.96.145.155]] identified as [[WP:VAND|vandalism]] to last revision by [[User:24.89.80.179|24.89.80.179]]. ([[WP:TW|TW]]) {{Infobox Settlement <!--See Template:Infobox Settlement for additional fields that may be available--> <!--See the Table at Infobox Settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage--> <!-- Basic info ----------------> |name = Ville de Dakar (City of Dakar) <!-- images and maps -----------> |image_skyline = Dakar ngor.jpg |image_caption = N'gor&mdash;a northern suburb of Dakar, near the [[Yoff Airport]] |image_shield = Dakar_CoA.gif |image_map = Dakar map.png |map_caption = City of Dakar, divided into 19 ''communes d'arrondissement'' |pushpin_map = Senegal <!-- name of a location map as per Template:Location_map --> |pushpin_label_position = <!-- position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none --> |pushpin_map_caption = Location within Senegal, Africa <!-- Location ------------------> |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = {{SEN}} |subdivision_type1 = [[Regions of Senegal|Région]] |subdivision_name1 = [[Dakar Region|Dakar]] |subdivision_type2 = [[Département]] |subdivision_name2 = Dakar <!-- Smaller parts (e.g. boroughs of a city) and seat of government --> |parts_type = Communes d'arrondissement |parts = 19 <!-- parts text, or header for parts list --> |p1=Cambérène |p2=Parcelles Assaines |p3=Pattie d'Oies |p4=Hann Bel-Air |p5=Dieuppeul Derklé |p6=HLM |p7=Biscuiterie |p8=Grand Dakar |p9=Plateau |p10=Médina |p11=Fass-Gueule Tapée-Colobane |p12= Fann Point-E |p13=Mermoz-Sacré-Coeur |p14=Ouakam |p15=Yoff |p16=Ngor |p17=Liberté |p18=Grand-Yoff |p19=Cape Verde Peninsula <!-- etc. up to p50: for separate parts to be listed--> <!-- Politics -----------------> |leader_title = [[Mayor]] |leader_name = [[Pape Diop]] (since 2002) |leader_party= [[Senegalese Democratic Party|PDS]] |leader_title1 = Regional&nbsp;president <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager --> |leader_name1 = [[Abdoulaye Faye (politician)|Abdoulaye Faye]] (since 2002) |established_title = Settled |established_date = 15th century <!-- Area ---------------------> |area_magnitude =1 E7 <!-- use only to set a special wikilink --> |area_footnotes = <ref name="dakar_area">{{fr icon}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mairie-grand-dakar.com/dhtml/home.php?id=316|title=Tableau de répartition de la surface totale occupée|accessdate=2007-03-08}}</ref> |area_total_km2 =82.38 <!-- ALL fields with measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion--> |area_metro_km2 =547 <!-- Population -----------------------> |population_as_of = [[December 31]], [[2005]] estimate |population_footnotes = <ref name="dakar_population">{{fr icon}} {{cite web| url=http://www.ansd.org/SES2005.pdf| title="Situation économique et sociale du Sénégal", édition 2005, page 163| first=[[Government of Senegal]]| last=Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie| format=PDF | accessdate=2007-03-08}}</ref> |population_note = Data here are for the administrative Dakar ''région'', which matches almost exactly the limits of the metropolitan area |population_total =1030594 |population_density_km2 =12510 <!--For automatic calculation, any density field may contain: auto --> |population_metro =2452656 |population_density_metro_km2 =4484 <!-- General information ---------------> |timezone = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]] |utc_offset = +0 |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = | coor_type = <!-- can be used to specify what the coordinates refer to --> |latd=14 |latm=41 |lats=34 |latNS=N |longd=17 |longm=26 |longs=48 |longEW=W <!-- Area/postal codes & others --------> |postal_code_type = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... --> |postal_code = |area_code = |website = http://www.dakarville.sn |footnotes = }} :''For the Dakar Rally, see [[Dakar Rally]]. For the Israeli submarine, see [[INS Dakar]].'' '''Dakar''' is the [[capital city]] of [[Senegal]], located on the [[Cap-Vert|Cape Verde Peninsula]], on the country's [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coast. It is Senegal's largest city. Its position, on the western edge of [[Africa]] (it is the westernmost African city), is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional [[seaport|port]]. According to [[December 31]], [[2005]] official estimates, the city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 2.45&nbsp;million people.<ref name="dakar_population">{{fr icon}} {{cite web| url=http://www.ansd.org/SES2005.pdf| title="Situation économique et sociale du Sénégal", édition 2005, page 163| first=[[Government of Senegal]]| last=Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie| format=PDF | accessdate=2007-03-08}}</ref> Dakar is a major administrative centre, home to the [[National Assembly of Senegal]] and Senegal Presidential Palace. ==History== [[Image:Dakar BAO 1900.jpg|thumb|left|Postcard image of Dakar under French colonial governance, 1900]] The Cape Verde Peninsula was settled, no later than the 15th century, by the [[Lebou]], an ethnic group related to the neighboring Wolof and Sereer. The original villages: Ouakam, Ngor, [[Yoff]] and Hann, still constitute distinctively Lebou neighborhoods of the city today. Meanwhile, in 1444, the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] arrived on the island of [[Gorée]] and founded a settlement there. By 1536, they had begun using it as a base for the export of slaves. The mainland of Cap-Vert, however, was under control of the [[Jolof Empire]], as part of the western province of [[Cayor]] which seceded from Jolof in its own right in 1549. A new Lebou village, called Ndakarou, was established directly across from Gorée in the 17th century to service the European trading factory with food and drinking water. Gorée was captured by the [[United Netherlands]] in 1588, which gave it its present name (spelled ''Goeree'', after [[Goeree-Overflakkee]] in Holland). The island was to switch hands between the Portuguese and Dutch several more times before falling to the English under [[Robert Holmes (admiral)|Admiral Robert Holmes]] on [[January 23]], [[1664]], and finally to the French in 1677. Though under continuous French administration since, [[Métis]] families, descendant from Dutch and French traders and African wives, dominated the slave trade. The infamous "[[House of Slaves]]" was built here 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 Ndakarou. In 1857 the French established a military post at Ndakarou (which they called "Dakar") and annexed the Lebou Republic, though its institutions continued to function nominally. The Serigne (also spelled Sëriñ, "Lord") of Ndakarou is still recognized as the traditional political authority of the Lebou by the Senegalese State today. The slave trade was abolished by France in February 1794. However, Napoleon reinstated it in May 1802, then finally abolished it permanently in March 1815. Despite Napoleon's abolition, a clandestine slave trade continued at Gorée until 1848, when it was 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&nbsp;residents, proved ineffectual as a port. Traders from Gorée decided to move to the continent and a "factory" with warehouses was established in [[Rufisque]] in 1840. 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 to [[Saint-Louis, Senegal|Saint-Louis]] and the Dakar-Saint Louis railway was completed in 1885, at which point the city became an important base for the conquest of the western Sudan. Gorée, including Dakar, was recognised as a French ''commune'' in 1872. Dakar itself was split off from Gorée as a separate ''commune'' in 1887. The citizens of the city elected their own mayor and municipal council and helped send an elected representative to the National Assembly in Paris. Dakar replaced Saint-Louis as the capital of [[French West Africa]] in 1902. A second major railroad, the Dakar-Niger built from 1906–1923, linked Dakar to Bamako and consolidated the city's position at the head of France's West African empire. In 1929, the ''commune'' of Gorée Island, now with only a few hundred inhabitants, was merged into Dakar. [[Image:SenghorDia1960.jpg|thumb|[[Léopold Sédar Senghor]] and [[Mamadou Dia]], the first President and Prime Minister respectively of the Republic of Senegal, pass the National Assembly building in Dakar, 1960]] Urbanization during the colonial period was marked by forms of racial and social segregation&mdash;often expressed in terms of health and hygiene&mdash;which continue to structure the city today. Following a plague epidemic in 1914, the authorities forced most of the African population out of old neighborhoods, or "Plateau", and into a new quarter, called Médina, separated from it by a "sanitary cordon". As first occupants of the land, the Lebou inhabitants of the city successfully resisted this expropriation. They were supported by [[Blaise Diagne]], the first African to be elected Deputy to the National Assembly. Nonetheless, the Plateau thereafter became an administrative, commercial, and residential district increasingly reserved for Europeans and served as model for similar exclusionary administrative enclaves in French Africa's other colonial capitals (Bamako, Conakry, Abidjan, Brazzaville). Meanwhile, the Layene Sufi order, established by [[Seydina Mouhammadou Limamou Laye]], was thriving among the Lebou in Yoff and in a new village called Cambérène. Since independence, urbanization has sprawled eastward past Pikine, a commuter suburb whose population (2001 est. 1,200,000) is greater than that of Dakar proper, to Rufisque, creating a [[conurbation]] of almost 3&nbsp;million (over a quarter of the national population). In its colonial heyday Dakar was one of the major cities of the French Empire, comparable to [[Hanoi]] or [[Beirut]]. 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). During the [[Battle of Dakar]], which took place off the coast of Dakar on [[September 23]]–[[September 25]], [[1940]], the British navy attempted to rally the colonial administration in Dakar to the Allied cause and detach it from Vichy. In November 1944 West African conscripts of 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. Dakar was the capital of the short-lived [[Mali Federation]] from 1959 to 1960, after which it became the capital of Senegal. Dakar is a major financial center, home to a dozen national and regional banks (including the BCEAO which manages the unified West African CFA currency), and to numerous international organizations, NGOs and international research centers. Dakar has a large Lebanese community (concentrated in the import-export sector) that dates to the 1920s, a community of Moroccan business people, as well as Mauritanian, Cape Verdian and Guinean communities. The city is home to as many as 20,000&nbsp;French expatriates. France still maintains an air force base at Yoff and the French fleet is serviced in Dakar's port. ==Geography and climate== Dakar is located at 14°40'20" North, 17°25'22" West (14.67222, -17.422778).<ref>[http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html earth-info.nga.mil]</ref> <!--Infobox begins-->{{Infobox Weather |metric_first= <!--Entering Yes will display metric first. Leave blank for imperial--> |single_line= <!--Entering Yes will display metric and imperial units on same line.--> |location =Dakar |Jan_Hi_°C =26 |Jan_REC_Hi_°C = <!--REC temps are optional; use sparely--> |Feb_Hi_°C =27 |Feb_REC_Hi_°C = |Mar_Hi_°C =28 |Mar_REC_Hi_°C = |Apr_Hi_°C =27 |Apr_REC_Hi_°C = |May_Hi_°C =28 |May_REC_Hi_°C = |Jun_Hi_°C =30 |Jun_REC_Hi_°C = |Jul_Hi_°C =30 |Jul_REC_Hi_°C = |Aug_Hi_°C =30 |Aug_REC_Hi_°C = |Sep_Hi_°C =31 |Sep_REC_Hi_°C = |Oct_Hi_°C =31 |Oct_REC_Hi_°C = |Nov_Hi_°C =30 |Nov_REC_Hi_°C = |Dec_Hi_°C =28 |Dec_REC_Hi_°C = |Jan_Lo_°C =17 |Jan_REC_Lo_°C = |Feb_Lo_°C =17 |Feb_REC_Lo_°C = |Mar_Lo_°C =18 |Mar_REC_Lo_°C = |Apr_Lo_°C =19 |Apr_REC_Lo_°C = |May_Lo_°C =20 |May_REC_Lo_°C = |Jun_Lo_°C =23 |Jun_REC_Lo_°C = |Jul_Lo_°C =25 |Jul_REC_Lo_°C = |Aug_Lo_°C =25 |Aug_REC_Lo_°C = |Sep_Lo_°C =25 |Sep_REC_Lo_°C = |Oct_Lo_°C =24 |Oct_REC_Lo_°C = |Nov_Lo_°C =22 |Nov_REC_Lo_°C = |Dec_Lo_°C =20 |Dec_REC_Lo_°C = <!--**** use mm or cm but not both! ****--> |Jan_Precip_cm = |Jan_Precip_mm =2 |Feb_Precip_cm = |Feb_Precip_mm =1 |Mar_Precip_cm = |Mar_Precip_mm =0 |Apr_Precip_cm = |Apr_Precip_mm =0 |May_Precip_cm = |May_Precip_mm =0 |Jun_Precip_cm = |Jun_Precip_mm =15 |Jul_Precip_cm = |Jul_Precip_mm =72 |Aug_Precip_cm = |Aug_Precip_mm =179 |Sep_Precip_cm = |Sep_Precip_mm =149 |Oct_Precip_cm = |Oct_Precip_mm =39 |Nov_Precip_cm = |Nov_Precip_mm =1 |Dec_Precip_cm = |Dec_Precip_mm =1 |source =Weather2Travel.com<ref name=weather1 >{{cite web | url =http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/index.php?destination=dakar | title =Dakar Climate Guide (Senegal) Historical Weather Averages - Weather2Travel.com | accessmonthday =Jan 19 | accessyear = 2008 | publisher =Weather2Travel.com | language = }}</ref> |accessdate =2008-01-19 }}<!--Infobox ends--> == Administration == [[Image:DakarGueuleTapée1.jpg|thumb|Market street in the working class Gueule Tapée quarter]] The city of Dakar is a [[commune (subnational entity)|commune]], (also sometimes known as ''commune de ville''), one of the 67&nbsp;communes of Senegal. The commune of Dakar was created by the French colonial administration on [[June 17]], [[1887]] by detaching it from the commune of [[Gorée]]. The commune of Gorée, created in 1872, was itself one of the oldest Western-style municipalities in Africa (along with the municipalities of [[Algeria]] and [[South 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&nbsp;mayors in Dakar since 1887. The first black mayor was [[Blaise Diagne]], mayor of Dakar from 1924 to 1934. The longest serving mayor was [[Mamadou Diop (politician)|Mamadou Diop]], mayor for 18&nbsp;years between 1984 and 2002. The commune of Dakar is also a ''[[département]]'', one of the 34&nbsp;''départements'' of Senegal. This situation is quite similar to [[Paris]], which is both a commune and a ''département''. However, contrary to French ''départements'', ''départements'' 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 ''département''. The ''département'' of Dakar is divided into four [[Arrondissements of Senegal|arrondissement]]s: Almadies, Grand Dakar, Parcelles Assainies (which literally means "drained lots"; this is the most populated arrondissement of Dakar), and Plateau/Gorée (downtown Dakar). These arrondissements are quite different from the [[arrondissements of Paris]], being merely local administrative structures of the central state, like the Senegalese ''départements'', and are thus more comparable to French [[arrondissement in France|departmental arrondissements]]. [[Image:DakarMermoz.JPG|thumb|Residential street in the upscale Mermoz quarter]] [[Image:Assemblée nationale(Senegal).jpg|thumb|right|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&nbsp;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&nbsp;''communes d'arrondissement''. These ''communes 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 the [[London borough]]s. The commune of Dakar was maintained above these 19&nbsp;''communes d'arrondissement'', and it coordinates the activities of the ''communes d'arrondissement'', much as [[Greater London]] coordinates the activities of the London boroughs. The 19&nbsp;''communes d'arrondissement'' belong to either of the four arrondissements of Dakar, and the ''[[prefect|sous-préfet]]'' of each arrondissement is in charge of controlling the activities of the ''communes d'arrondissement'' in his arrondissement. The ''commune d'arrondissement'' of [[Dakar-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 populated ''commune d'arrondissement'' is Médina (136,697&nbsp;inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée. The ''commune d'arrondissement'' of [[Yoff]] (55,995&nbsp;inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Almadies, is the largest one, while the smallest one is the ''commune d'arrondissement'' of [[Gorée|Île de Gorée]] (1,034&nbsp;inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée. The ''département'' of Dakar is one of the four ''départements'' of the [[Dakar Region|Dakar ''région'']], which is one of the 11&nbsp;[[regions of Senegal|''régions of Senegal'']]. The Dakar ''région'' encompasses the city of Dakar and all its suburbs along the [[Cap Vert|Cape Verde Peninsula]]. Its territory is thus roughly the same as the territory of the metropolitan area of Dakar. Since the administrative reforms of 1996, the ''régions'' 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. Following the political transition of 2000 when [[Abdoulaye Wade]], leader of the opposition ([[Senegalese Democratic Party]], or PDS), defeated President [[Abdou Diouf]] ([[Socialist Party of Senegal]]), local elections were held in 2002. Two leaders of the PDS, Pape Diop and Abdoulaye Faye, ambitioned to become mayor of Dakar. Eventually, a compromise was found: Pape Diop would run for the municipal election of Dakar, while Abdoulaye Faye would run for the regional election of Dakar. The local elections of Senegal were held on [[May 12]], [[2002]], and saw the PDS largely defeating the Socialists. Pape Diop was elected mayor of Dakar, defeating the long time Socialist mayor Mamadou Diop, while Abdoulaye Faye was elected president of the regional council of the Dakar ''région'', defeating the Socialists who hitherto controlled the ''région''. ==Notable places== [[Image:DKR Railway station.JPG|thumb|The Dakar Railway Station]] Attractions in Dakar include major [[market]]s, [[Dakar Grand Mosque]] (built in 1964), [[Gorée|Gorée Island]], the [[IFAN Museum]] of [[West Africa]]n culture, [[cliff]]top walks and [[beach]]es, and Hann Park, home to Senegal Zoo. The town serves as a port and is home to the [[Dakar-Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport|Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport]]. It is also the terminus of the [[Dakar-Niger railroad line]]. Dakar is the finishing point of the [[Dakar Rally]] and is a member of the [[Organization of World Heritage Cities]]. [[Cheikh Anta Diop University]], also known as the [[University of Dakar]], was established in 1957. ==Notable residents== *[[Akon|Alioune "Akon" Thiam]], R&B singer *[[Ségolène Royal]], French politician born in Dakar *[[Ousmane Barro]], basketball player, [[Marquette University]] *[[Youssou N'Dour]], singer and percussionist *[[Patrick Vieira]], soccer player, [[Inter Milan]] *[[DeSagana Diop]], basketball player, [[Dallas Mavericks]] *[[Boris Diaw]], basketball player, [[Phoenix Suns]] *[[Cheikh Samb]], basketball player, [[Detroit Pistons]] *[[Abdoulaye Wade]], [[List of Presidents of Senegal|President]] of [[Senegal]] *[[Patrice Evra]], soccer player, Manchester United ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{commonscat}} * {{fr icon}} [http://www.dakarville.sn Official website] {{Geolinks-cityscale|14.6929|-17.4466}} ; Photos * [http://www.fotopaises.com/fotos/Senegal/SN.html Photos of Dakar] * [http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Dakar+Senegal&m=tags&z=t Photos of Dakar on Flickr] - Photos tagged with Dakar Senegal on Flickr.com {{African capitals}} {{Host Cities of the Francophonie Summits}} [[Category:Capitals in Africa]] [[Category:Cities, towns and villages in Senegal]] [[Category:Coastal cities]] [[Category:Dakar| ]] [[Category:Dakar Region]] [[Category:French West Africa|Dakar 1677-1959]] [[Category:Port cities in Africa]] [[Category:Settlements established in 1857]] [[af:Dakar]] [[am:ዳካር]] [[ar:داكار]] [[an:Dakar]] [[frp:Dakar]] [[bn:ডাকার]] [[be-x-old:Дакар]] [[bs:Dakar]] [[br:Dakar]] [[bg:Дакар]] [[ca:Dakar]] [[cs:Dakar]] [[da:Dakar]] [[de:Dakar]] [[et:Dakar]] [[el:Ντακάρ]] [[es:Dakar]] [[eo:Dakaro]] [[eu:Dakar]] [[fr:Dakar]] [[gd:Dakar]] [[gl:Dacar - Dakar]] [[ko:다카르]] [[hy:Դակար]] [[hi:डकार]] [[hr:Dakar]] [[io:Dakar]] [[id:Dakar]] [[os:Дакар]] [[is:Dakar]] [[it:Dakar]] [[he:דקר (עיר)]] [[jv:Dakar]] [[sw:Dakar]] [[la:Dakar]] [[lv:Dakara]] [[lb:Dakar]] [[lt:Dakaras]] [[lij:Dakar]] [[hu:Dakar]] [[mk:Дакар]] [[nl:Dakar]] [[ja:ダカール]] [[no:Dakar]] [[nn:Dakar]] [[nov:Dakar]] [[oc:Dakar]] [[pms:Dakar]] [[pl:Dakar]] [[pt:Dakar]] [[ksh:Dakar]] [[ro:Dakar]] [[ru:Дакар]] [[scn:Dakar]] [[simple:Dakar]] [[sk:Dakar]] [[sr:Дакар]] [[fi:Dakar]] [[sv:Dakar]] [[tl:Dakar]] [[vi:Dakar]] [[tg:Дакар]] [[tr:Dakar]] [[uk:Дакар]] [[ur:ڈاکار]] [[vec:Dakar]] [[wo:Ndakaaru]] [[zh:達喀爾]]