Senegal

Where the name comes from

Senegal is named after the Senegal River, whose name is often traced to the Zenaga, an Amazigh people, though this is disputed.

First people

Wolof, Serer, Fula and other societies shared West African kingdoms and trade, and the Senegambian stone circles are over 1,000 years old.^1,2

Known for

Senegal is known for Gorée Island, a memorial of the Atlantic slave trade, and for its first president, the poet Léopold Sédar Senghor, a founder of Négritude.^3,4,5

Outside contact

France founded Saint-Louis in 1659, and Britain occupied it in 1758–1779.¹

The modern country

Colonial rule ended in 1960, first within the Mali Federation and then as a separate republic; in 1966 Dakar hosted the first World Festival of Black Arts.¹