Rufisque

關於Rufisque

Rufisque is a city in the Dakar region of western Senegal, at the base of the Cap-Vert Peninsula 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Dakar, the capital. It has a population of 295,459 (2023 census). In the past it was an important port city in its own right, but is now a suburb of Dakar.

Rufisque is also the capital of the department of the same name.

Originally a Lebou fishing village called Tenguedj (Wolof: Tëngéej), Rufisque became important in the 16th century as the principal port of the kingdom of Cayor, being frequented by Portuguese (who named it Rio Fresco, meaning "Freshwater River", hence the name of the modern city), Dutch, French and English traders. A Euro-African Creole, or Métis, community of merchants grew up there, in close contact with similar communities in Saint Louis, Gorée and other places along the Petite Côte (Saly-Portudal, Joal) south to the Gambia River. By the 1650s, the Dutch West India Company had consolidated control over the coastal trade and built a fortified factory at Rufisque.

In 1840 a couple of Saint Louis merchants built warehouses on the waterfront to stock peanuts. Gorée merchants followed suit. There...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.