Online Encyclopedia
Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.
SENEGAL
Online EncyclopediaEncyclopedia Home :: SCY-SHA
del.icio.us it!
|
SENEGAL , a See also:country of See also:West See also:Africa belonging to See also:France. As a See also:geographical expression it is the See also:land watered by the Senegal See also:river; politically it has a much wider significance. The See also:French possessions in this region are divided into (1) the See also:colony of Senegal, and dependent native states; (2) the colony of Upper Senegal and See also:Niger, with a dependent Military Territory; (3) the Territory of See also:Mauretania. The first colony includes the most See also:westerly See also:coast region of Africa; a large See also:part of the second colony is the country enclosed in the See also:great See also:bend of the Niger; while the Military Territory is See also:east of that river. The Territory of Mauretania is part of the western See also:Sahara, stretching indefinitely See also:north from the Senegal river. It includes the See also:oasis of See also:Adrar Temur (see ADRAR) and the coast regions between Cape Blanco and the Senegal river. In the See also:present See also:article the two colonies are dealt with in See also:separate sections (I. and II. below), the See also:story of French See also:conquest and colonization throughout this vast region forming See also:section III.
I. SENEGAL
Senegal is bounded N. by the Territory of Mauretania, W. by the See also:Atlantic, S. by Portuguese See also:Guinea and French Guinea, and E. by the Faleme, which separates it from Upper Senegal and Niger. Wedged into Senegal and surrounded by it See also:save seawards is the See also:British colony of the See also:Gambia. Senegal colony proper consists of the towns of See also:Dakar, St See also: In this larger sense, which is that employed in this article, Senegal covers about 74,000 sq. m., with an estimated population of 1,800,000. Among the protected states is See also:Bondu (q.v.) lying immediately west of the See also:lower Faleme. See also:Physical Features.—The coast follows a S.S.W. direction from the mouth of the Senegal to Cape Verde, the most western point of the See also:African See also:continent; thence it bends See also:south as far as Cape Roxo, where the Portuguese frontier begins. The only gulf on the coast is that which lies to the south of Cape Verde and contains the See also:island of Goree (q.v.). The coast in the northern part is See also:low, arid, desolate and dune-skirted, its monotony relieved only here and there by cliffs and plateaus. Further south it becomes marshy, and clothed with luxuriant vegetation. A little to the north of the Gambia the coast-See also:line is much broken by the See also:archipelago of islands formed by the Salum See also:estuary, whilst south of the Gambia is the broad estuary of the Casamance. Between the Senegal and the Gambia and as far east as about 13° W., the country behind the seaboard is a slightly elevated and, for the most part, barren See also:plain. Further east is a mountainous and fertile region with altitudes of over 4000 ft. The mountains sink abruptly towards the Niger valley, while southwards they join the Futa Jallon See also:highlands. On the north they extend to the See also:left bank of the Senegal and throw out spurs into the See also:desert beyond. The Senegal (q.v.), its tributary the Faleme, and the upper course of the Gambia (q.v.) are the See also:chief See also:rivers which drain the country. The Salum, already mentioned, is a river-like estuary which penetrates fully too m. and is split into many channels. It is navigable from the See also:sea for 6o m. The Casamance flows between the Gambia to the north and the Cacheo to the south, and has a drainage area of some 6000 sq. m. Rising in the Futa Jallon, the river has a course of about 212 m., and at Sedhiu, See also:toy m. from the sea, is 1i m. broad. See also:Forty See also:miles lower down it is joined by a northern tributary, the Songrogu, and thence to the ocean forms, with its numerous lateral channels, an estuary. The mouth of the river is fully 6 m. wide. Six to seven feet of See also:water See also:cover the See also:bar at low See also:tide, the river being navigable by shallow See also:draught vessels for the greater part of its length. See also:Geology.—The low region of the seaboard has a very See also:uniform See also:character. It consists of sandstones or See also:clay rocks and loose beds of reddish See also:soil, containing marine shells. At certain points, such as Cape Verde and Cape Roxo (or See also:Rouge), the red sandstones See also:crop out, giving to the latter its name. Clay slates also occur, and at intervals these sedimentary strata are interrupted by basaltic See also:amygdaloid and volcanic rocks. For instance, the island of Goree is basaltic. The See also:base of the mountains is formed in certain places of clay See also:slate, but more generally of See also:granite, See also:porphyry, See also:syenite or See also:trachyte. In those districts See also:mica-See also:schists and See also:iron ores occur. Iron and See also:gold are found in the mountains and the alluvial deposits. Many of the valleys are covered with fertile soils; but the rest of the country is rather arid and sterile. See also:Climate.—There are two seasons, the dry and the See also:rainy or See also:winter, the latter contemporaneous with the See also:European summer. In the rainy See also:season the See also:wind blows from the sea, in the dry season the har-mattan sweeps seaward from the Sahara. Along the seaboard the dry season is cool and agreeable ; in the interior it is temperate in the three months which correspond to the European winter, for the rest of the See also:year the See also:heat is excessive. The maximum readings (90° to too° F.), which are exceptional at St Louis, become almost the See also:rule at Bakel on the upper Senegal. The mean temperature at St Louis is 68° to 70° F. The rainy season begins at Goree between the 27th of See also:June and the 13th of See also:July. During this See also:period storms are frequent and the Senegal overflows and floods the lowlands, the heat and humidity rendering the country affected very unhealthy. Several districts formerly covered with See also:forest, to which fact Cape Verde owed its name, are now treeless, a continual slow diminution in the rainfall being the result.' No part of the country is suited for permanent occupation by Europeans. Yellow See also:fever, See also:malaria, &c., once prevalent in the towns, have been successfully combated by See also:attention to sanitation. See also:Flora.—The See also:principal See also:tree is the See also:baobab (Adansonia digitata), which sometimes at the height of 24 ft. has a See also:diameter of 34 and a circumference of 104 ft. Acacias are numerous, one See also:species, A. adansonia, being valuable for See also:ship-See also:timber. Among the See also:palm-trees is the ronier, whose See also:wood resists moisture and the attacks of See also:insects; in some places, as in Cayor, it forms magnificent forests. The mampatas grows sometimes too ft. high, its branches beginning at a height of about 25 ft. Landolphia and other See also:rubber See also:plants, and the oil-palm, grow luxuriantly in the Casamance See also:district. The karite, or shea-See also:butter tree, is See also:common. See also:Wild See also:indigo is abundant, and the See also:cotton plant is indigenous. See also:Fauna.—The See also:lion of Senegal and the neighbouring countries differs from the See also:Barbary lion; its See also:colour is a deeper and brighter yellow, and its mane is neither so thick nor so See also:long. Other beasts of See also:prey are the See also:leopard, the wild See also:cat, the See also:cheetah, the See also:civet and the See also:hyena. The wild See also:boar is clumsier than the European variety. Antelopes and gazelles occur in large herds; the See also:giraffe is found in the region of the upper Senegal; the See also:elephant is rare; the See also:hippopotamus is gradually disappearing. Crocodiles swarm in the upper Senegal. Monkeys and apes of different species (the See also:chimpanzee, the colobus, the cynocephalus, &c.), the See also:squirrel, See also:rat and See also:mouse abound. The See also:hedgehog, See also:marmot, See also:porcupine, See also:hare, See also:rabbit, &c., are also met with. Among the more noteworthy birds are the See also:ostrich, which migrates to the Sahara ; the See also:bustard, found in desert and uncultivated districts; the See also:marabout, a See also:kind of See also:stork, with its See also:beak See also:black in the See also:middle and red at the point, which frequents the moist meadowlands and .the lagoons; the See also: Under the name of Wakore or See also:Wangara they are also found in all the immense See also:tract enclosed in the bend of the Niger. The Berbers, Fula and Mandingos are Moslems. The Wolofs and the See also:Serers inhabit the seaboard from St Louis to the Gambia, and the left bank of the Senegal from its mouth to Dagana. The Balanta inhabit the left bank of the Casamance; they are allied to the Mandingos. The principal See also:languages spoken are See also:Wolof, Fula, Serer, See also:Mandingo and Arabic. The river Senegal marks the line of separation between Wolof and Arabic. Fula is the See also:language of the Fula and Tukulors (Fula See also:half-breeds) ; Mandingo comprises several dialects and is widely spoken. See also:Polygamy is generally practised. Slave raiding has been stopped and domestic See also:slavery is not' recognized by the French. (See BERBERS, FULA, WOLOF, MANDINGO, &C.) Towns.—The chief towns of Senegal are St Louis, pop. (1904) 28,469, Dakar (23,452), Goree (1500) (all separately noticed) and Rufisque. Rufisque (12,446; including suburbs, 19,177) is a seaport 14 m. E. of Dakar and is on the railway connecting that See also:town with St Louis. It is the chief See also:place in the colony for the export of ground-nuts. Portudal and Joal are small places on the coast south of Rufisque. (Midway between Cape Verde and Cape Blanco is the small See also:port of Marsa or Portendic, a little south of Jell [Old Portendic],
' See A. See also:Knox, " The Isohyets 'twixt Sahara and Western See also:Sudan," in Geog. Journ. (June 1909).
which was formerly noted for the export of See also:gum arabic, and on the shores of the See also:bay formed by Cape Blanco is Port See also:Etienne, a fishing station provided with jetties and guarded by a military See also:post. These last-named ports are in the Territory of Mauretania, but are most conveniently mentioned here.) On the river Senegal are the towns of See also:Richard-See also:toll (Richard's See also:garden), Dagana and Bakel, all three founded by the French See also:government in 1821. Carabane, Zighinchor and Sedhiu are settlements on the Casamance river. St Louis, Dakar, Goree and Rufisque are communes, with a See also:franchise exercised by natives and Europeans alike. The See also:total See also: See also:Agriculture and See also:Trade.—Senegal's chief commercial product is the ground-See also:nut, which, since 1888, has yielded about 30,000 tons a year. See also:Millet,.the See also:staple See also:food of the native population, See also:maize and See also:rice occupy about two-thirds of the cultivated land. See also:Acacia gum is gathered by the Moors in the northern region; the See also:kola nut is cultivated and rubber is collected in the district of Casamance, which projects between Portuguese Guinea and British Gambia. There are large herds of See also:cattle and flocks of See also:sheep and goats, besides numerous camels, asses and horses. Gold, iron, quicksilver and See also:copper are found. The natives carry on See also:weaving, pottery, brickmaking, and manufacture trinkets. Cotton goods (chiefly from See also:England) form the most important articles of import, and after them come kola nuts (mainly from Sierra Leone), rice, wines and See also:spirits, See also:tobacco, implements, See also:sugar, See also:coal and See also:fancy goods; the exports are mostly ground-nuts; rubber (much of which comes from the Niger regions), gum and gold coming next in value. The imports and 'exports of Senegal are not shown separately, the figures for Upper Senegal and Niger being included. The See also:average See also:annual value for the five years ending 1905 was £3,100,000. By 1910 the value had risen to nearly £4,000,000. France takes 75% of the exports; See also:Belgium, the See also:Netherlands and See also:Denmark the bulk of the See also:remainder " In value ground-nuts form four-fifths of the exports. Communications.—A railway, 163 m. long, goes from Dakar to St Louis, from which point the Senegal river is navigable by steamer from See also:August to See also:November, both inclusive, for about 500 m., the navigable reach terminating at Kayes, whence a railway runs to the Niger. See also:Direct communication between Dakar and the Niger is afforded by a railway starting from Thies, a station on the way to St Louis, and ending at Kayes. The construction of this line began in 1907. See also:Telegraph lines connect the colony with all other parts of French West Africa. Dakar is in direct See also:cable communication with See also:Brest, and another cable connects St Louis with See also:Cadiz. Steamship communication between See also:Europe and Dakar and Rufisque is maintained by several French, British and See also:German lines. Over 50% of the See also:shipping is French, Great See also:Britain coming second. IL UPPER SENEGAL AND NIGER This colony is bounded N. by the Saharan territories dependent on See also:Algeria, W. by Senegal and the Territory of Mauretania, S. by the French colonies of Guinea and the See also:Ivory Coast, the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast (British), See also:Togoland (German) and See also:Dahomey (French). The Military Territory dependent on the colony extends E. of the Niger to the See also:Lake See also:Chad territory of French See also:Congo, being bounded S. by See also:Nigeria (British). The colony and its dependent territory thus form the See also:link connecting all the possessions of France in north, west and central Africa. Their area is estimated at 210,000 sq. m., with a population of some 3,000,000. Those tribes living north and east of the Niger are mainly of Berber (See also:Tuareg) stock; the inhabitants of the Niger bend are chiefly Negroids, such as the Mandingo, with Fula in certain districts. The colony, as a whole, consists of a great See also:plateau of granite and See also:sandstone, rarely more than 1600 ft. high, and in its N.W. part, the Kaarta, all but desert. HydrographicalIy the western portion belongs to the See also:basin of the Senegal, the central to that of the Niger. At Mopti, 200 M. S.W. of See also:Timbuktu, the Niger receives the Mahel Balevel, which rises in about 91°N. and with its tributaries drains a very Iarge area. In its lower courses its divergent channels, uniting with offshoots from the Niger, form in the See also:flood season an immense lake. This region—apparently the Wangara country of See also:Idrisi—is sometimes called Bambara, the name of the chief See also:race inhabiting it. The lakes or widenings of the Niger itself occupy vast areas; Lake Debo, the Lake of Horo, the Lake of Dauna, Lake Faguibini are all to the south or west of Timbuktu, and are permanent. The greater part of the colony lies within the bend of the Niger, but westward it includes both See also:banks of the Senegal as far as the Faleme confluence. It also extends north of the Niger so as to include the fertile land on the See also:borders of the Sahara. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML. Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide. |
|
|
[back] SENEGA |
[next] SENEGAMBIA |