29 Facts About Senegal

Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is a West African country. Senegal is bounded to the north by Mauritania, to the east by Mali, to the southeast by Guinea, and to the southwest by Guinea-Bissau.

Senegal, in West Africa, has long been regarded as a model democracy, with a history of stable government and civilian rule.

Senegal has been a part of several West African empires, including the Kingdom of Ghana in the eighth century, the Tukulor Empire in the eleventh century, and the Jolof Empire in the twentieth (12th-14th centuries).

European powers were very interested in Senegal. Because of the region's strategic location for trading slaves and goods, the Portuguese, British, French, and Dutch all vied for control.

Gorée, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located off the coast of Senegal. It was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

The 'Door of No Return' on Goree Island is where millions of Africans were shipped to a life of slavery in the Caribbean and the Americas.

Senegal has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in total. Only South Africa (10), Ethiopia (9), Morocco (9) and Tunisia (8) have more in Africa.

Senegal gained independence in 1960 as part of the Mali Federation, an alliance that included Senegal and the Sudanese Republic (previously French Sudan).

However, the federation only lasted two months before dissolving due to Senegal's secession and the Sudanese Republic becoming the Republic of Mali.

Senegal briefly joined forces with Gambia in 1982 to form a confederation to combine the countries' military and security forces. It was dissolved in 1989 as the Senegambian Confederation.

The Senegalese flag has vertical green, yellow, and red stripes with a central green star. Green (along with the star) represents hope and the country's major religion (Islam), yellow represents natural riches and wealth obtained through labour, and red represents the struggle for independence, life, and socialism.

For good luck, some taxi drivers in Senegal attach horse, sheep, or cattle hair to their vehicles. These tails, which have been blessed by religious leaders, are thought to bring good fortune.

Senegal has a growing surf scene, and a portion of the 1966 surfing film The Endless Summer was shot there.

Local shepherds in Dakar take their sheep for a daylong cleansing ritual on Sundays. Sheep are prized as religious festival sacrifices, and some people believe that the cleaner the animal, the better the sacrifice.

Senegal began planting the Great Green Wall in 2012, a 7,000km long and 16km wide tree wall stretching across the arid Sahel savanna from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. Although the project is behind schedule, there is still hope for its completion.

The Dakar Rally, which began in 1978-79 and covers up to 15,000 kilometres between Southern Europe and Senegal, is regarded as the world's most difficult automobile race. The rally was relocated to South America in 2009 after its organisers cancelled it due to terrorism concerns.

The Cape Verde Peninsula in west-central Senegal is continental Africa's westernmost point.

Fadiouth, a small car-free island in Senegal, is made entirely of clamshells, including the houses, streets, and cemeteries.

Senegal is known as the "Gateway to Africa" due to its numerous air and maritime travel routes.

Lake Rose (also known as Lake Retba) in Senegal turns rosy pink at times due to its unusually high salt content, which is ten times that of ocean water.

Borom Sarret (1963) was shot in Senegal and is regarded as the first African film produced and directed by an African. It was also the debut film of Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene, dubbed the "Father of African Cinema" by many.

The tallest statue in Africa can be found in Senegal. North Korean artists are said to have spent $27 million on the 49-meter African Renaissance Monument. 

The lion is Senegal's national symbol. A lion is the mascot of the soccer team, one is on the presidential seal, and lion statues are frequently placed at town entrances and in front of military installations. Nonetheless, decades of hunting and development have nearly wiped them out. Niokolo-Koba National Park is home to Senegal's last remaining lion population.

In the span of ten years, 25 fishermen were killed by "killer hippopotamuses" in Senegal's rivers.

People usually speak the language of their ethnic group, such as Pulaar, Serer, and 38 different African languages, in addition to the main languages of French and Wolof.

Senegal is named after the Senegal River, which is derived from the Portuguese word "Azenegue," which refers to the Berber Zenaga people who lived north of the river. Another theory is that the name originates from the Wolof "sunu gaal" which means "our boat".

Senegal will host the Youth Olympic Games in 2022, making it the first African country to host an Olympic event.

Touba, Senegal, is known as "Africa's Mecca," with over a million Muslim pilgrims visiting each year from all over the world. The pilgrimage commemorates the founder of the Sufi Islam movement, Cheikh Amadou Bamba, and his exile by French colonial authorities in 1895.

Akon, the rapper and entrepreneur, is half-Senegalese. He recently announced the establishment of 'Akon City,' his own city in Senegal.