The westernmost city on the African continent is the capital of Senegal, Dakar. The city is located on the Cape Verde peninsula, washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This place is characterized by a fairly favorable climate, because the sea breeze has a refreshing effect on it all year round. Port Dakar, founded in 1857 by French colonists on the west coast of Africa, currently provides an impressive amount of international freight traffic.
The capital of Senegal is the main political center of the country. The residence of the president and various institutions of power structures are located here. As in any other capital, industrial enterprises, financial institutions, educational institutions and cultural centers are concentrated in Dakar. The population of the Republic of Senegal, whose capital has more than 1 million inhabitants (with suburbs - more than 2 million), is ethnically heterogeneous and includes more than 20 ethnic groups: Wolof, Fulbe, Serer and others. Europeans (mainly French) make up about 1% of the total numbers. The capital of Senegal is the place where one of the most important rally raids of the planet, previously known as “Paris - Dakar”, and nowadays simply “Dakar”, will finish.
The religious center of a small African state is also its capital, Dakar. Senegal is a Muslim country in which 90% of the inhabitants practice Islam. One of the main mosques of the Republic of Senegal is located in its capital.
The design of the Dakar
Cathedral Mosque, opened in 1964, was developed by architects from France and Morocco.
The architectural style of the construction largely repeats the style of the
Muslim temples of Morocco and other similar monuments of Islamic architecture. The height of the square in the tower section is 67 m. The surface of the minaret is decorated with a simple
geometric pattern (in accordance with Islamic traditions). Since 1974, the Islamic Institute of Dakar has been operating at the mosque, which is engaged in research and promotion of this religion.
The main attractions of the capital are the Theodore Mono Museum of African Art.
The museum’s collection is diverse and includes about 9 thousand exhibits testifying to the high level of development of the art of the peoples of West Africa. Visitors are given the opportunity to see a variety of ritual masks (singer, warrior, judge, beggar, hunter), drums, sacred figurines, other religious and ritual objects. The museum exhibits a wide range of everyday objects: agricultural implements, wicker baskets, pumpkin vessels.
The capital of Senegal is proud that it houses the tallest statue in Africa - the African Renaissance Monument, located on a high hill of the continent’s westernmost point.
The height of the monument, opened on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the agreement on granting the state of Senegal independence from France, is 49 meters. According to the president of this very poor
African country, the monument, which includes bronze statues of a man, woman and child, will become a symbol of the revival of the peoples of the "black continent."