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Dakar

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

                                                   CAPTION: Ville de Dakar


                                                       City coat of arms
                                                       (City coat of arms)

                                                                  City map
                (City of Dakar, divided into 19 communes d'arrondissement)
                                                               City proper
                                                                ( commune)
                                                             Région Dakar
                                                        Département Dakar
                                                           Mayor Pape Diop
                                                       ( PDS) (since 2002)
                                                            Area 82.5 km²
                                     Subdivisions 19 communes d'arrondiss.
                                                                Population
                                          31.12.2004 estimate (Ranked 1st)
                                                                 1,009,256
                                                       Density 12,233/km²
                                                         Metropolitan area
                                                          ( Dakar région)
        (data here are for the administrative Dakar région, which matches
                       almost exactly the limits of the metropolitan area)
                                         Regional president Abdoulaye Faye
                                                       ( PDS) (since 2002)
                                        Communes 7 (as of Dec. 2004), plus
                                                    2 communautés rurales
                                                             Area 547 km²
                                                                Population
                                          31.12.2004 estimate (Ranked 1st)
                                                                 2,399,451
                                             Yearly growth approx. +2.50 %
                                                        Density 4,387/km²
                                                             Miscellaneous
                                      Sister cities Washington, D.C. (USA)
                                                           Taipei (Taiwan)
                                                            Sfax (Tunisia)
                                                        Praia (Cape Verde)
                                                            Oran (Algeria)
                                                            Niamey (Niger)
                                                             Milan (Italy)
                                                        Marseille (France)
                                                  Kinshasa (D. Rep. Congo)
                                                               (Palestine)
                                                         Douala (Cameroon)
                                                      Casablanca (Morocco)
                                                  Brazzaville (Rep. Congo)
                                                    Bissau (Guinea-Bissau)
                                                           Banjul (Gambia)
                                                             Bamako (Mali)
                                                         Baku (Azerbaijan)

   N'gor - a northern suburb of Dakar, near the Yoff Airport.
   Enlarge
   N'gor - a northern suburb of Dakar, near the Yoff Airport.

   Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cape Verde
   Peninsula, on the country's Atlantic coast. 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 port.

   In 2005 the population of the metropolitan area was estimated at 2.4
   million people, of which about 1 million live in the city of Dakar
   proper.

   Dakar is a major administrative centre, home to the Senegal National
   Assembly and Senegal Presidential Palace.

Geography

   Dakar is located at 14°40'20" North, 17°25'22" West (14.67222,
   -17.422778).

History

   The traditional date of the founding of Yoff, headquarters of the
   Layene Sufi order in northern Dakar, is 1430. Meanwhile, in 1444, the
   Portuguese arrived on the island of Gorée, founding a settlement there,
   and by 1536, had begun using it as a base for the export of slaves. By
   this time, the mainland of Cap-Vert, including Yoff, 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.

   Gorée was captured by the United Netherlands in 1588, who gave it its
   present name (spelled Goeree, after Goeree-Overflakkee in Holland). The
   island was to switch hands between the Portuguese and Dutch a couple
   more times before falling to the English under Admiral Holmes on 23
   January 1664, and finally to the French in 1677. Though under
   continuous French administration after that, both Dutch and French
   families dominated the slave trade, and the infamous " House of Slaves"
   was built here in 1776. 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.

   In 1812, the political independence of the Layene at Yoff was
   recognised by the Kingdom of Cayor, a sort of 'theocratic autonomy'
   that they enjoy to this day.

   Despite Napoleon's abolition, a clandestine slave trade continued at
   Gorée until 1848, when it was abolished throughout all French
   territories. Nevertheless, the island's population grew to 6000
   residents, and when the city of Dakar was formed around a French fort
   in 1857, most of these moved to the mainland. Under the French
   governor, Louis Faidherbe, the French began to expand their control
   over the region at the expense of Cayor.

   Gorée, including Dakar, was recognised as a French commune in 1872. The
   settlement grew as a port and railway hub, the latter opening in 1885
   with a route to Saint-Louis; this train is now only used for special
   excursions. Dakar itself was split off from Gorée as a separate commune
   in 1887.

   The city later became a naval base, and replaced Saint-Louis as the
   capital of French West Africa in 1902. In 1929, the commune of Gorée
   Island, now with only a few hundred inhabitants, was merged into Dakar.
   The Battle of Dakar took place off the coast of Dakar on September 23 -
   September 25, 1940.

   Dakar was the capital of the short-lived Mali Federation from 1959 to
   1960, after which it became the capital of Senegal.

   The Fort D'Estrees on Gorée Island, where slaves were held, auctioned,
   and packed onto ships, was restored by the Senegalese government in the
   20th century and transformed into a museum.

Administration

   The city of Dakar is a commune, (also sometimes known as commune de
   ville), one of the 67 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 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, mayor for 18 years between 1984 and
   2002.

   The commune of Dakar is also a département, one of the 34 départements
   of Senegal. This situation is quite similar to Paris in France 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:
   Almadies, Grand Dakar, Parcelles Assanies (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 departmental
   arrondissements.

   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 so on August 30, 1996 Dakar was divided into 19
   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 boroughs. The
   commune of Dakar was maintained above these 19 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 communes d'arrondissement belong to either of the four
   arrondissements of Dakar, and the 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 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée. The
   commune d'arrondissement of Yoff (55,995 inhabitants), in the
   arrondissement of Almadies, is the largest one, while the smallest one
   is the commune d'arrondissement of Île de Gorée (1,034 inhabitants), in
   the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée.

   The département of Dakar is one of the four départements of the Dakar
   région, which is one of the 11 régions of Senegal. The Dakar région
   encompasses the city of Dakar and all its suburbs along the 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.

Sights

   Attractions in Dakar include major markets, Dakar Grand Mosque (built
   in 1964), Gorée Island, the IFAN Museum of West African culture,
   clifftop walks and beaches, and Hann Park, home to Senegal Zoo.

Transportation

   The town serves as a port and is home to the Léopold Sédar Senghor
   International Airport. It is also the terminus of the Dakar-Niger
   railroad line.

Notable Residents

   Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, R&B Singer

Sister cities

     * Washington, DC, USA
     * Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakar"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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