Dakar

Dakar is the capital and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of mainland Africa. The city has a population of about 1.3 million in its department and around 4 million in the larger metropolitan area as of 2023.

The area was first colonized by the Portuguese in the early 15th century. They used the nearby island of Gorée as a base for trade, including the movement of people during a sad time in history. Later, France took control of the island and the mainland. As the city grew, it became an important port and a key location in the French colonial empire.

In 1902, Dakar became the capital of French West Africa, replacing Saint-Louis. After a brief period as the capital of the Mali Federation from 1959 to 1960, Dakar became the capital of the independent Republic of Senegal in 1960. Looking ahead, Dakar will host the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics.

History

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Dakar.

Foundation and European Trade

The Cap-Vert peninsula was home to the Lebu people, a group from the Wolof ethnic family, by at least the 1400s. Their villages—Ouakam, Ngor, Yoff, and Hann—are still part of the city today.

In 1444, Portuguese sailors reached the Bay of Dakar. They made peaceful contact in 1456 and used the bay as a stop for their trips to India. The area became a key place for ships to rest, get water, and trade. During one visit in 1501, a sailor named Amerigo Vespucci began to think the lands they found were not part of Asia but a new place—the “New World”.

The Portuguese set up a settlement on Gorée Island in the 1500s. Later, the Dutch and then the English took control before the French arrived in 1677. The French built what is called the “House of Slaves” on Gorée Island in 1776.

Lebou Republic

By the late 1700s, Dakar was a big town in the area known as Cayor. In 1795, leaders called marabouts started a revolt, and the Lebou people joined them. After some battles, they built walls to protect themselves and created what the French called the “Lebou Republic”, with their capital at a place named Ndakaaru.

France ended the slave trade in 1794 but then brought it back in 1802. It finally ended across all French lands in 1848. The French then encouraged people to grow peanuts instead. As this trade grew, traders moved from Gorée Island to the mainland. In 1857, the French set up a military post at Ndakaaru and called it “Dakar”.

Colonial Dakar

The French put lots of money into building up Dakar. They improved the port, built a telegraph line, and finished a railroad to Saint-Louis by 1885. This made Dakar important for France’s control of West Africa.

In 1902, Dakar became the capital of French West Africa. A second railroad, finished in 1923, connected Dakar to other places and made the city even more important.

During the colonial time, the city grew but with separation between different groups of people. After a disease outbreak in 1914, many people were moved to a new area called Médina. Some groups, like the Lebou, fought against this change.

Independence

Dakar was the capital of the Mali Federation for a short time from 1959 to 1960 before becoming the capital of Senegal. The country’s first president, Léopold Sédar Senghor, wanted to make Dakar a cultural centre for Africa.

Today, Dakar is a big financial hub with many banks and international groups. It is also home to people from many places, including Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania, Cape Verde, and Guinea. France still keeps an air base nearby.

From 1978 to 2007, Dakar was often the finish line for the Dakar Rally.

Geography

Dakar is located on the Cap-Vert peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland.

Climate

Dakar has a tropical hot semi-arid climate with a short rainy season and a long dry season. The rainy season lasts from July to October, and the dry season covers the other eight months. The city gets about 411 mm (16.2 in) of rain each year.

Between December and May, Dakar is usually warm with daytime temperatures around 25–28 °C (77–82 °F). Nights during this time are warm too, about 18–20 °C (64–68 °F). From May to November, the city gets hotter, with daytime highs of 29–31 °C (84–88 °F) and nighttime lows a little above 23–25 °C (73–77 °F). Sea breezes help keep Dakar cooler than cities farther inland.

Climate change

A study from 2019 suggested that by 2050, Dakar’s climate might feel like the current climate of Praia in Cape Verde. Temperatures could rise by about 1.5 °C (3 °F).

According to a report from 2022, Dakar is one of the African cities that could face serious problems from rising sea levels. Without changes to protect the city, the damage could be very high in the future.

Administration

The city of Dakar is a special kind of local government area called a commune. It became a commune on June 17, 1887, when it was separated from another area called Gorée by French leaders. Since then, Dakar has always been a commune, even after Senegal gained independence in 1960. The area it covers has changed over time, but since 1983, its borders have stayed the same.

Dakar is led by a group of elected people called a municipal council, and one person called a mayor is chosen from this group. There have been 20 mayors of Dakar since 1887. The city is also a department, which is like a bigger area for local government work. It is split into four parts called arrondissements: Almadies, Grand Dakar, Parcelles Assainies, and Plateau/Gorée.

In 1996, Senegal changed how its local governments worked. Dakar was split into 19 smaller communes called communes d'arrondissement. These smaller areas have their own leaders and powers, similar to how bigger cities are organized. Dakar still oversees these smaller areas to help coordinate activities.

Dakar is also one of the regions of Senegal. This region includes the city of Dakar and nearby areas along the Cape Verde Peninsula. Since 1996, these regions have had elected leaders and councils to help manage important issues like development and the environment.

Notable sites

Dakar has many interesting places to see. One of the most famous spots is Deux Mamelles, two hills in the Ouakam area. These hills give great views of the whole city. The first hill has a lighthouse called Mamelles Lighthouse, built in 1864. The second hill has a big statue called the African Renaissance Monument, which is the tallest statue in Africa.

Other important places in Dakar include the medina quarter in Médina. This area was built a long time ago and is now full of shops. Soumbédioune is a busy street market and a popular place for visitors. The medina also has the Dakar Grand Mosque, built in 1964.

Near Dakar are four small islands: île de Yoff, Île de N'Gor, Îles de la Madeleine, and Île de Gorée. Île de N'Gor has beaches good for surfing and other fun activities. Île de Gorée is a special place that remembers history, with old buildings from when people were unfairly taken from Africa. It also has a museum about this sad time in history. The island is also a place where many artists show their work.

Other places to visit in Dakar include Layen Mausoleum, Palais Présidentiel where the government works, Place de l'Indépendance which is the city's main square, Dakar Cathedral, and Cheikh Anta Diop University, also called the University of Dakar.

Places of worship

The most common places of worship in Dakar are Muslim mosques. There are also Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dakar, Assemblies of God, and the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.

Dakar was chosen as the Capital of Islamic Culture for the African Region in 2007. It is also known as the birthplace of the Layene Brotherhood, a Sufi group started in 1883. Important Muslim sites in Dakar include the Grand Mosque of Dakar, built in 1964, and the Mosque of Divinity, constructed in 1973.

Culture

In Senegal, family is very important, and this is shown in many ways, even in how people eat. During a meal, someone might say "kay lekk," meaning "come eat." Everyone gathers around one plate and eats together using their hands. Popular dishes include Cebbu Jën (Tiéboudienne) and Yassa. Being polite is key in Dakar, and greeting others is a must—not greeting someone can seem rude.

Because of history with France, schools in Dakar have a special schedule. They break around midday so students can rest at home. Many people in Dakar follow Islam, so they often go to mosques for prayers, especially on Fridays.

Music plays a big role for young people, with artists like Daara J Family sharing messages about their communities. Dakar also hosts many festivals, such as the World Festival of Black Arts, Festival international du film de quartier de Dakar, Dakar Biennale, and Taf Taf, an international artist residency program.

Museums

• IFAN Museum of African Arts or Musee Theodore Monod
• Henriette-Bathily Women's Museum
• House of Slaves
• Village des Arts
• Parc Forestier et Zoologique de Hann, aka the Senegal Zoo
• Museum of Black Civilisations
• Dynamic Museum

Sports

Dakar has an important sports club called AS Douanes, which is based in Sicap-Liberté. They play in the Senegal Premier League and won the 2014–15 Ligue 1 (Senegal) season in the past.

In the past, Dakar was the finish line for the Dakar Rally until 2007. After that, the race moved to South America because of safety issues in Mauritania.

Dakar was planned to host the 2022 Youth Summer Olympics, but these games were delayed. They will now take place in 2026, marking the first time an Olympic event will be held in Africa.

Transport

The Conseil Exécutif des Transports Urbains Durables (CETUD) was started in 1997 to help plan transportation in the Dakar area. A study in 2021 found that poor air quality, traffic jams, dangerous roads, and loud noises cost the country's economy about CFA francs 900 billion (around USD $1.4 billion) each year. This is about 6% of the country’s total yearly earnings.

Dakar has the Autonomous Port of Dakar and the end point of the old Dakar-Niger railroad line.

Three major roads start from Dakar: the Cairo-Dakar Highway, the Dakar-Ndjamena Highway, and the Dakar-Lagos Highway.

The Train Express Regional Dakar-AIBD (TER) will connect Dakar to Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD). The first part, 36 kilometres (22 miles) long, links Dakar to Diamniadio. A second part, 19 kilometres (12 miles) long, will go to the airport. There will be 14 stations, and the fastest trip will take 45 minutes. The train is expected to carry 115,000 people each day. Testing began on January 14, 2019, and the first passengers rode in December 2021.

The city has a fully electric bus rapid transit system called Sunu BRT. It has two routes now, with two more planned. The buses are electric and there are 144 of them. They have special lanes and 32 smaller bus routes. The bus system was paid for by the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, and the government of Senegal. A company called Dakar Mobilité, which includes Meridiam and the Fonds d’Investissement du Sénégal, runs the buses. The bus system created 1,000 jobs, and about 35-45% of them were for women. The buses are expected to carry about 300,000 people each day and cut travel times from 95 to 45 minutes. After the bus system was built, 69% of the city’s people can reach the centre in under an hour, up from just 12% before.

Blaise Diagne International Airport is Dakar’s main airport. Many airlines fly there, including Air France, Delta, Emirates, Iberia, TAP Air Portugal, and Turkish. It is also the main base for Senegal’s national airline, Air Senegal.

Notable people

Dakar has been home to many famous people from different fields. Some well-known individuals include Abdoulaye Faye, a footballer, and Akon, an R&B singer. There is also Baaba Maal, a singer and guitarist, and Boris Diaw, a basketball player.

Other notable figures are Cheikh Anta Diop, a historian and scientist, and Didier Raoult, a microbiologist. The city has also seen many sports stars such as Sadio Mane, a footballer, and Khaby Lame, an influencer. Artists like Youssou N'Dour, a singer, and Pélagie Gbaguidi, a contemporary artist, also call Dakar home.

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Senegal

Dakar has friendly partnerships with many cities around the world. Some of these cities include:

• Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
• Baku, Azerbaijan
• Douala, Cameroon
• Isfahan, Iran
• Melbourne, Australia
• Milan, Italy
• Oran, Algeria
• Rangpur, Bangladesh
• Rosario, Argentina
• Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
• Taipei, Taiwan
• Washington, D.C., United States