According to abbreviationfinder, Dakar is the most important city in Senegal and the capital of the country. It is located on the Atlantic coast of the African continent, specifically on the Cape Verde peninsula. Its geographical location is very favorable for maritime traffic with America and Europe, which was decisive for the establishment and development of the largest seaport in the entire region. It has a population of 1,030,594 residents according to the 2005 census.
History
The first residents of the area of present-day Dakar belonged to the Mandingo ethnic group, discovered by the Portuguese explorer Dinis Dias, who discovered them on his travels along the Atlantic coast of the African continent in 1444 when he made landfall in the westernmost place of Africa, which he named the Cape Verde Peninsula, alluding to its beautiful vegetation.
Towards the end of the 15th century there was the beginning of an immigration towards the area of fishermen of the Lebu ethnic group, who escaped from the kingdom of Takrur, to the northeast of the Senegal River.
In 1750 the name of Dakar appeared for the first time on a map of the Cape Verde peninsula drawn up by the French botanist and naturalist Michel Adanson.
Between 1846 and 1848, François de Saint Jean mayor of the [[island of Gorea, due to the population density reached on the island, repeatedly requested the creation of a new city on the continent, to be located in the area of current Dakar.
From 1848 the interest of the area of the present Dakar increased, with the prohibition of slavery that was a lucrative business in the protected port of the island of Gorea and that now with the prohibition had declined and this gave rise to a growing interest through the town of Dakar, on the continental coast, which had greater possibilities for growth and commercial expansion.
In 1857 the city of Dakar was founded by order of the French general Louis Faidherbe, however it is said that the true and authentic founder of the city was Lieutenant Colonel of the Arms Engineers Émile Pinet Laprade, who is said to have designed the close-up of the city.
The initial construction works of the city began to be erected in 1859. In 1875, Dakar replaced the city of Gorea as the administrative center of its district and by 1876 a new cadastre of the city was drawn up, which in 1878 already had about 1,500 residents.
The 17 of June of 1887 the city reached the category of definitively independent commune of the island of Goree and the first mayor of the city Mr. [[Jean Alexandre took office on 9 December that year.
In 1902, the city replaced Saint Louis, also in Senegal, as the capital of the French West African colony and by 1909 the city was already the first port of Senegal. Between the years 1920 and 1930 there is an immigration linked to trade and from Lebanon, which was also a French colony.
In 1929, specifically on March 31, the inauguration of the Dakar Cathedral took place.
The 25 of September of 1940 the occurs Battle of Dakar, a naval battle for control of French West Africa, which led the failed attempt by the troops of the Free French (Free French Forces) and the Allies to expel from the place the men of General Pierre Boisson, who remained loyal to Vichy France allied with the Third Reich. The objective of the battle was to move the German troops away from the French colonies in the Atlantic Ocean, in the face of the imminent Battle of the Atlantic centered around the supply route to the United Kingdom.
And after the war, Dakar received the visit of French President Vincent Auriol, the first firing a head of state of France to a colonial territory in Africa black.
The 26 of August of 1958, General Charles de Gaulle as president of France, visit Dakar, and his arrival is greeted by a mass demonstration demanding independence of the country, which is granted finally with the entire territory comprising the former French West Africa.
Between 1959 and 1960, Dakar was the capital of the short-lived Federation of Mali, later becoming the capital of the new country of Senegal on April 4, 1960.
In 1964 the Great Mosque of Dakar was built, as a symbol of the national resurgence of the Islamic religious tradition against Christianity that was associated with European and French colonialism.
In June 1978, Dakar hosted the headquarters of the Central Bank of West African States.
Geography
The climate of Dakar is tropical, with two seasons: a hot and humid season between the months of June to October, where the highest rainfall occurs with an average of 179 mm for the month of August and an average temperature of 27 ° C, and a slightly cooler and drier season between the months of November to May, in which there is practically no rain.
The influence of cool, humid breezes from the Atlantic Ocean greatly softens the city’s temperatures making it one of the coolest and coolest places in the region. Average annual rainfall is 600 mm.
Population
The city According to the 2005 census, it has a population of 1,030,594 residents and its metropolitan area with a population of 2,450,000 residents. See population of Senegal.
Economy
Dakar’s economy began to change or reorient itself at the end of the 1990s when the traditional industrial sector linked to food processing, wood, furniture and the textile sector began to lose strength, in contrast to the sphere of Construction and the services sector have grown extraordinarily and the headquarters of large companies such as Air Senegal International, Grands Moulins of Dakar, the General Society of Banks in Senegal and the International Bank of Commerce and Industry of Senegal have been established.
Dakar has also experienced a rise in the branch of tourism for which it has become a great attraction, especially its markets, the Great Mosque of Dakar, the Cathedral of Dakar, the IFAN Museum of West African culture, walks through the cliffs, beaches and Hann Park, where the zoo is located, another great attraction is the island of Gorée (a World Heritage Site since 1978), among other destinations.
Culture
Starting in 1966, the World Festival of Black Art was held in Dakar, organized at the initiative of Léopold Sédar Senghor, which is an unprecedented event in cultural history, an affirmation and celebration of blackness.
Sports
The city of Dakar is known worldwide for being the arrival point of the Dakar Rally, however the main sporting events of the country take place there and the main infrastructures of the country are based, especially those for football and Senegalese wrestling, which are the national sports of Senegal. These structures include the Leopoldo Sédar Senghor stadium and the Demba Diop stadium.
