The westernmost tip of the African continent, a country bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It is adjacent to Moritani to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea-Bissau and Guinea to the south. Gambia is a country that looks like a river in the middle of the country on the map above. The capital city is Dakar, which is famous as the endpoint of the Dakar Rally.
Senegalese, Dakar.
It is a peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides, making it hard to believe it is the capital city even from the picture. It is located in the westernmost part of Africa and has developed since the French colonial era because it is a port that occupies an important position in transatlantic trade and European trade because it is located on three sides. That’s why it was decided as the capital after independence.
Dakar was formed as a city by France. It was changed to Saint-Louis in 1902 and became the capital of French West Africa. During World War II, the Senegalese colony pledged allegiance to the Visi government, so in September 1940, De Gaulle’s free French army attacked Dakar, but it ended in failure (the naval battle of Dakar). From 1959 to 1960, it was the capital of the Mali Federation and later became the capital of Senegal to the present.
Due to the influence of France, there are European-style buildings, and the remaining slave camps during the colonial period are also located. It is also called an important point of maritime trade linking the three continents of Europe-Africa-America. Trade ships, passenger ships, and naval ships from numerous countries sail here.
Senegalese history.
In ancient Carthage, a fleet led by Hannoh attempted to explore the area and build colonies, but it is said that tribes in the West Sahara region failed as they interfered with the settlement of the Carthaginians.
Around the 9th century, the Tacrur Kingdom of the Fula people survived, and it became the land of kingdoms such as the Ghanaian and Mali empires. Since then, the southeastern region has been ruled by the Songgai people following Mali, but the northwest region has a kingdom like Cayor following the Wolof Zolov Kingdom, and the Serere’s Cine Kingdom in the southwest. At this time, in the eastern part of the country, the Pula people established a large country like Denangke, and Putatoro, their successor, existed in northern Senegal in the 19th century. The Zolov Kingdom was destroyed by the Fullers.
The Murabit dynasty, which originated in southern Mauritania and northern Senegal, also dominated Morocco and Spain. Wouldn’t this be the only case in which an African south of the Sahara conquered Europe? However, the Murabit dynasty was not black, but the Werberians all over North Africa. Meanwhile, Europeans have been active around the coast of Senegal since around the 16th century. Portuguese spread Christianity as they advanced to the southern Casamance. Kazamance has a high proportion of Christians in Senegal, so there are many voices calling for separate independence.
Senegalese economy.
Senegal’s major industries are agriculture, which produces peanuts and cotton, and the Atlantic Ocean, so water resources are abundant, and there are mining and industries using phosphor ore, a service industry led by the fishing and tourism industries. In particular, peanuts are important in this country, and peanuts are so much influenced by the country’s economy that they are called Senegal’s gold. Specifically, 25% of exports are peanuts.
Senegalese language.
Senegal’s official language is French, but Wolofian, Serelean, Pula, Bambara, Mandinkar and other native languages are also spoken. Among them, Wallopian is widely used because there are many Wallopian speakers, and Wallopian, along with French in Senegal, belongs to one of the Lingua franca and official languages. And under the control of France, French is designated as the official language, so it is also a member of Francoponi. However, Senegal has a large number of Wallopian speakers, and as Wallopian spreads widely, only a third of them speak French, so they are starting French education and content development with the help of Francoponi.
As Senegal’s relationship with China deepens, more and more people are learning Chinese (standard Chinese) as a second language.# And peculiarly, Senegal is a member of the observatory of the Portuguese-speaking community. Senegal is also used in the Hassanya dialect, a kind of Arabic dialect, and the Hassanya dialect used in Senegal introduced Romanization, unlike Arabic dialects in other regions.
Senegalese sports.
During the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, he became famous as an African soccer powerhouse as he scored the winning goal of the Bubodyoff, causing a so-called Senegal shock that fed France 1-0, and advanced to the quarterfinals of his final performance. For more information on the national team, refer to the Senegalese national soccer team.
It is also a powerhouse in women’s basketball in Africa. Until the 1960s and early 1980s, they competed with Egypt at the Africa Basketball Championship, competed several times in the finals, and tied for five championships in history like Egypt. However, starting with the championship in 1989, Angola basketball monopolized the championship and won its 11th title in 2013, surpassing Senegal and Egypt’s all-time five wins (10 times), respectively. Senegal lost to Angola in the finals in 1992, 1995, and 2005 and finished second.
Dembaba, who played for Premier League teams Newcastle and Chelsea, is from Senegal, and likewise Newcastle’s Papis City is from Senegal. Papizilovogo, who gained popularity in Korea because of his name, is also a Senegalese player, and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Napoli’s Kalidu Koulibaly are indispensable to the Senegalese national soccer team. Goalkeeper Eduard Mendy in Chelsea, Idrissa Geye in the Premier League, Papa Bubadiof, one of the leading players in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup quarterfinals, El Haji Diouf, former Senegalese player before Sadio Mane, and midfielder Cheikukuyate from the Premier League. In addition, there are many Senegalese or Senegalese-born black players of French nationality. With Dakar being selected as the venue for the 2022 Summer Youth Olympics, Senegal became the first country in Africa to host the Olympic Games. Volleyball player Patou Duke, who played in the V League, is a Senegalese nationality.