Senegal is the westernmost country in the mainland of the Old World, or Afro-Eurasia. It owes its name to the Senegal River, which borders it to the east and north. The climate is typically Sahelian, though there is a rainy season. Senegal covers a land area of almost 197,000 square kilometres (76,000 sq mi) and has a population of around 18 million.0 The state is a unitarypresidential republic; since the country's foundation in 1960, it has been recognized as one of the most stable countries on the African continent. On the 2024 V-Dem Democracy Indices, Senegal is ranked 68th in electoral democracy worldwide and 10th in electoral democracy in Africa.
The state was formed as part of the independence of French West Africa from French colonial rule. Because of this history, French is the official language, but it is understood by only a minority of the population. Over 30 languages are spoken in Senegal. Wolof is the most widely spoken one, with 80% of the population speaking it as a first or second language, acting as Senegal's lingua franca alongside French. Like other African nations, the country includes a wide mix of ethnic and linguistic communities, with the largest being the Wolof, Fula, and Serer people. Senegalese people are predominantly Muslim.
The Balanta (Guinea-Bissau Creole and Portuguese: balanta; French: balante; lit. “those who resist” in Mandinka) are an ethnic group found in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Senegal, Cape Verde and The Gambia. They are the second largest ethnic group of Guinea-Bissau, representing around a quarter of the population. Despite their numbers, they have remained outside the colonial and postcolonial state because of their social organisation. The Balanta can be divided into six dialects: Nyacra, Ganja (Mane), Naga, Patch, Sofar and Kentohe. The largest of which are the Balanta Kentohe.
The Balantas mainly get their last names from the name that is given to a clan, for example. "Na Sanyang", meaning, "house of Sanyang" – which points to a clan. Normally, in a Balanta society, houses are built based on clans. (Full article...)
Image 1The Serer of the Senegambia's representation of the universe. The three worlds : the invisible world, the terrestrial world and the nocturnal world.
Image 2The African Renaissance Monument (French: Le Monument de la Renaissance Africaine) is a 49 meter tall bronze statue located on top of one of the twin hills known as Collines des Mamelles, outside Dakar, Senegal. Built overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the Ouakam suburb, the statue was designed by the Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby after an idea presented by president Abdoulaye Wade and built by Mansudae Overseas Projects, a company from North Korea. Site preparation on top of the 100-meter high hill began in 2006, and construction of the bronze statue began 3 April 2008. Originally scheduled for completion in December 2009, delays stretched into early 2010, and the formal dedication occurred on 4 April 2010, Senegal's "National Day", commemorating the 50th anniversary of the country's independence from France. It is the tallest statue in Africa.
Image 4The Senegambian stone circles (Wassu section) believed by archaeologists and historians to be built by the Serer people of the Senegambia region. The Senegambia stone circles are the largest concentration of stone circles seen anywhere in the world according to UNESCO. They are sacred burial grounds and a place of ritual offerings (kuur in Serer).
Image 5The star Yoonir, symbol of the Universe in Serer religion and Cosmogony. The Serer people are one of the main ethnic groups of Senegal, and are also found in The Gambia and Mauritania. The peak of the star (top point) represents their Supreme Deity (Roog). The other four points represent the cardinal points of the Universe. The crossing of the lines ("bottom left" and "top right", and "top left" and "bottom right") pinpoints the axis of the Universe that all energies pass. The top point is "the point of departure and conclusion, the origin and the end". Among the Serers who cannot read or write the Latin alphabet, it is very common for them to sign official documents with the star of Yoonir, as the star also represents "good fortune and destiny". Yoonir also represents the Serer people and their precolonial Kingdom of Sine.
Credit: Llanta. Lithographer, Abbot P. David Boilat, author of text in his book Esquisses sénégalaises (1853). Source: cote : Gallica, bnf.fr - Réserve DT 549.2 B 67 M Atlas - planche n °5 - Notice n° : FRBNF38495418 - (Illustrations de Esquisses sénégalaises). Uploader to Wiki Commons Patricia.fidi More about Ndaté Yalla Mbodj...
Image 9The flag of Senegal (French: le drapeau du Sénégal) is a tricolour consisting of three vertical green, yellow and red bands charged with a five-pointed green star at the centre. Adopted in 1960 to replace the flag of the Mali Federation, it has been the flag of the Republic of Senegal since the country gained independence that year. The present and previous flags were inspired by French Tricolour, which flew over Senegal until 1960.
It has long been thought that the Senegal and the Niger were the same river; and they were indifferently called by each name. Several ancient and modern authors have maintained this opinion; and others have controverted it. But the discoveries of Mungo Park have irrevocably decided the point; as this traveller has found, that the Senegal and the Niger are two different rivers whose course in opposite; the former running in a western, and the latter in an eastern direction.
”
— Jean Baptiste Léonard Durand, A Voyage to Senegal: Or, Historical, Philosophical, and Political Memoirs, Relative to the Discoveries, Establishments and Commerce of Europeans in the Atlantic Ocean, from Cape Blanco to the River of Sierra Leone. To which is Added an Account of a Journey from Isle St. Louis to Galam. R. Phillips (1806), p. 121, [1]
The Battle of Logandème (18 May 1859) was an uprising led by the Serer King Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof, king of Sine, against the French Empire. The battle took place at Logandème (in Fatick) which was a part of Sine at the time. The battle was also a revenge attack against the Serer people after their resounding victory against France at the Battle of Djilass (or Tilas) on 13 May 1859. It was the first time that France decided to employ cannonball in the Senegambia. (Full article...)
The surname Joof, also spelt Juuf or Juf (in Serer and Cangin), Joof (English spelling in the Gambia) or Diouf (French spelling in Senegal and Mauritania), is a surname that is typically Serer. Though there are multiple spellings for this surname, they all refer to the same people. The differences in spelling came about because Senegal and Mauritania were colonized by France, while the Gambia was colonized by the United Kingdom. Although spelt differently, they are pronounced the same way. (Full article...)
Image 21Land mines were widely used in the Casamance conflict between separatist rebels and the central government. (from Senegal)
Image 22Arrival of Blaise Diagne, Deputy for Senegal, High Commissioner of the Government for the recruitment of black troops in Dakar in March 1918 (from History of Senegal)
Image 33The Portuguese Empire was the first European power to colonize Senegal, beginning with the arrival of Dinis Dias in 1444 at Gorée Island and ending in 1888, when the Portuguese gave Ziguinchor to the French. (from Senegal)
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