Global - Technology - Review

Senegal’s capital, Dakar, is situated at the extreme western point of the African mainland. The island of Goree, just off the coast, was occupied by the Portuguese in the mid fifteenth century, and was later the site of the Maison des Esclaves, now a monument to the victims of the slave trade. In Dakar itself are the Museum of African Art, the domed Cathedral and the Grand Mosque. Senegal almost completely surrounds the territory of Gambia; the nations were joined in a short-lived Federation in the 1980’s. The climate is tropical, and the landscape mainly consists of sandy plains. Mining, chemicals, fertilizers and tourism are major industries. There are many ethnic groups and languages. Senegal is famous for its Mbalax dance music, with influences from jazz to hip hop. Senegalese culture holds hospitality or ‘teranga’ in high regard. Sugarcane, peanuts and cotton are major export crops. Rice and millet are grown for food. The Niokolo-Koba National Park contains eighty species of mammal, including hippos, lions and chimpanzees. The French colonial capital of Saint-Louis is a World Heritage site, as is the Djoudj reserve in the wetlands of the Senegal River, home to 1.5 million birds.