Dakar
Dakar (/dɑːˈkɑːr, dæ-/ UK also: /ˈdækɑːr/;[4] French: [dakaʁ]; Wolof: Ndakaaru)[5] is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The department of Dakar has a population of 1,182,417, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.9 million in 2023.
This article is about the capital and largest city of Senegal. For other uses, see Dakar (disambiguation).
Dakar
15th century
- Cambérène
- Parcelles Assaines
- Pattie d'Oies
- Hann Bel-Air
- Dieuppeul Derklé
- HLM
- Biscuiterie
- Grand Dakar
- Plateau
- Médina
- Fass-Gueule Tapée-Colobane
- Fann Point-E
- Mermoz-Sacré-Coeur
- Ouakam
- Yoff
- Ngor
- Liberté
- Grand-Yoff
- Cape Verde Peninsula
83 km2 (32 sq mi)
22 m (72 ft)
1,182,417
14,000/km2 (37,000/sq mi)
3,896,564[1]
4,400/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
Data here are for the administrative Dakar région, which matches almost exactly the limits of the metropolitan area
Dakar is situated on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the western-most point of mainland Africa.[6] Cap-Vert was colonized by the Portuguese in the early 15th century. The Portuguese established a presence on the island of Gorée off the coast of Cap-Vert and used it as a base for the Atlantic slave trade. France took over the island in 1677. Following the abolition of the slave trade and French annexation of the mainland area in the 19th century, Dakar grew into a major regional port and a major city of the French colonial empire. In 1902, Dakar replaced Saint-Louis as the capital of French West Africa. From 1959 to 1960, Dakar was the capital of the short-lived Mali Federation. In 1960, it became the capital of the independent Republic of Senegal. Dakar will host the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics.
Places of worship[edit]
The most common places of worship in Dakar are Muslim mosques.[33] There are also Christian churches: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dakar (Catholic Church), Assemblies of God, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.
Dakar was selected as the Capital of Islamic Culture for African Region for the year 2007 by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), honoring its Islamic heritage.[34] ISESCO and its parent organization Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have held several regional and international conferences in the city,[35] best known for adoption of Dakar Declaration in 1991 which aimed at fostering the cooperation between the member states.[36] Dakar is also known as the birthplace of the Layene Brotherhood, a Sufi tariqa founded by Seydina Mouhammadou Limamou Laye in 1883 at the commune of Yoff. Seydina is buried in the Layen Mausoleum which is among the major landmarks of Dakar.[37] Today, Layene Brotherhood is consisted mostly of the Lebou people and based in the Cap-Vert area. It is also the third-biggest Sufi order in Senegal.
Prominent worshiping sites for Muslims in Dakar include the Grand Mosque of Dakar, built in 1964, which is situated at Allée Pape Gueye Fall of Medina, the Mosque of Divinity, constructed in 1973, situated in Ouakam, with the characteristic triangular windows, and Omarienne Mosque with minarets topped by green orbs.[31][38]
The town is home to the Autonomous Port of Dakar and the terminus of the non-functioning Dakar-Niger railroad line.
Three trans-African automobile routes start from Dakar:
The Train Express Regional Dakar-AIBD (TER) will connect Dakar with Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD). An initial 36 km will link Dakar to Diamniadio and a second phase of 19 km would connect Dakar to the Blaise Diagne airport. A total of 14 train stations will be served and the fastest end-to-end journey will take 45 minutes. The railway is expected to carry 115 000 passengers per day. The TER's first test run launched on 14 January 2019 and the first passenger train ran in December 2021.[45][46][47]
Blaise Diagne International Airport is the city's international airport; it handles flights by several airlines, including Air France, Delta, Emirates and Emirates Sky Cargo, Iberia, TAP Air Portugal and Turkish, and is the hub of Senegal's flag carrier, Air Senegal.