Dakar

Dakar, city in west Senegal, the country's capital and largest city, on Cape Vert Peninsula (the westernmost point of the African continent) and on the Atlantic Ocean. The port of Dakar, one of the finest in west Africa, is equipped with modern cargo-handling facilities including warehouses, fuelling station, and loading piers. The city's strategic position, midway between Europe and South Africa, and Europe and South America, has made it an important air and maritime centre. The road and railway centre of Senegal, Dakar is also connected with other important African cities by air. In recent years it has become an important fishing port, particularly for tuna, and a busy fish-processing centre. Other industries are ground-nut oil processing, sugar refining, baking, brewing, and the manufacture of soap and textiles. Notable modern buildings include an art museum and a large medical centre. It is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishop. The University of Dakar was founded in 1949; it includes the Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire, an important centre for the study of African culture.

Dakar was founded in 1857 by the French. Its commercial importance dates from 1885 with the completion of the railway linking it with the city of St Louis, Senegal, on the Senegal River. In 1902 Dakar replaced St Louis as the capital of French West Africa. Dakar was a French commune in Senegal from 1887 to 1924, when it was established as an autonomous district known as Dakar and Dependencies. In 1946 the district was incorporated with Senegal. During World War II Dakar was controlled by the French Vichy government until US forces invaded North Africa and occupied the city from 1942 until the end of the war. The Gorée Island nearby, a former major slave trade centre, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978 as a symbol of reconciliation. Population 2,079,000 (2000 estimate).