Dakar
For Dakar Rally, see Dakar Rally. For the Israeli submarine, see INS Dakar.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.
Dakar is located at 14°40'20" North, 17°25'22" West (14.67222, -17.422778). [
1]
The city of Dakar was formed around a
French fort. It was founded in
1857 after residents moved from the nearby island of
Gorée. The settlement grew as a
port and
railway hub, the latter opening in
1885 with a route to
Saint-Louis; the train is now only used for special excursions. The city later became a
naval base, and replaced Saint-Louis as the capital of
French West Africa in
1902. It 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.
The
Battle of Dakar took place off the coast of Dakar on
September 23-
September 25,
1940.
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.
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.
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.
Dakar is the finishing point of the
Paris Dakar Rally and Dakar is member of the
Organization of World Heritage Cities.
Cheikh Anta Diop University, also known as the
University of Dakar, was established in
1957.
*
Washington, DC,
USA*
dakarville.sn - City of Dakar official website (in French).
*
Photos of Dakar*
Photos of Dakar on Flickr - Photos tagged with Dakar Senegal on Flickr.com
