On the right side of the river Senegal used to live a tribe of “Berbers”: the Zenaga. And because of their commercial activities the river was named after them Senegal. The country was given the name of this river that irrigates 1500 kms of its land. In 1444, Denis Diaz, a Portuguese navigator arrived on the western coast of Africa and "discovered" the present “Senegal”. The area was the object of many years of rivalry between Portuguese, Dutch, English and French. 11 millions of inhabitants live permanently in this small country of 196 192 Km². Amongst them we count more than fifteen ethnic groups from north to south: | | |
|  | The « Toucouleurs» along the river in « Fouta » | | | | | The « Wolofs» in the central west area | | | | | The « Serers » who live next to the « Wolofs»
| | | | | The « Mandinka», the « Diola» and many « Fulani» live together in the | | | south west : Casamance. | | | | | The « Bedik», The « Bassari», the « Djalonké»» and the "Cognagui"…live | | | in the south east of the country. | | | | | The « Sarakolé» live on the eastern border. | | | | | Over 90% of them are Muslims, who live in a perfect atmosphere of brotherhood with Christians and Animists (who practice traditional faith). The ecosystem is as varied as the population is. It consists in: | | a desert made of sand dunes in the northern area of the Toucouleur | | | | | a hydrography with: several important rivers (Senegal, Gambia, | | | Casamance), streams in the east (Niokolo Koba, Falémé) | | | and the river Saloum in the central west, several lakes, some of them with salt water | | | | | a mangrove covers all the western region: from Joal to Southern | | | Casamance. | | | | | a varied vegetation from savannah to bush areas, at the end a forest | | | in the south of the country. | | | | | | We have over 700 km of coast all long the Atlantic ocean, from | | | Saint-Louis to Cape Skirring . | | | | Senegal's main income activities are: tourism, sea fishing and peanut growing. | | | |  |
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