About Dakar
Located in the western edge of Africa (it is the westernmost city on the African mainland), Dakar is Senegal’s largest city and also the capital city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula, on the country’s Atlantic coast and due to this strategic location is the departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade
Situated in a market-gardening region, Dakar is Senegal’s largest city and its administrative, communications, and economic center.
Economic Activities
The economic activities include Manufacturing that includes processing of refined sugar, peanut oil, fertilizers, cement, and textiles. Flour milling, oil refining, and fish canning are other important industries.
The city is the busiest port in W Africa, serving Mali and Mauritania as well as Senegal, and has modern facilities for handling and storing goods.
Dakar grew up around a French fort built in 1857. The first major pier was completed in 1866.
In 1855 when the railroad that links it with the Senegal River, Dakar’s became a focal point in the transportation system in the region.
In 1887 it was made a commune, along with Gorée, Rufisque, and Saint-Louis; the communes together elected a deputy to the French National Assembly.
It replaced Saint-Louis as the capital of French West Africa in 1902. In 1923 a new railroad linked Dakar with interior peanut-growing areas and the Niger River.
It became independent in1940 after Free French forces under Gen. Charles de Gaulle fought unsuccessfully to free Dakar from Vichy control, but in late 1942 U.S. forces occupied the city and stayed to the end of World War II. Dakar was the capital of the short-lived (1959—60) Mali Federation.
Since 1945, the city has expanded greatly and today, there are beautiful sceneries such as the sandy beaches and a zoological and forest park. Scenery that is a major landmark in Dakar is the cathedral (inaugurated 1929) is the seat of an archbishop. The Univ. of Dakar (1949), the National School of Administration, a school for librarians, and a UN-administered institute of economic development and planning are in the city. It is also the site of the famous Institute fundamental d’Afrique noire, which promotes scholarly research in many fields.
The city hosts many international conferences on artistic and scholarly topics.
Dakar’s Yoff international airport is the main stopping point for flights from Europe to South America.