Senegal Tours

Senegal is in western Africa, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Senegal was founded by the Tukulor in the middle valley of the Senegal River. Islam, the dominant religion, first came to the region in the 11th century. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the area came under the influence of the Mandingo empires to the east; the Jolof Empire of Senegal also was founded during this time.  Portugal, the Netherlands, and Great Britain all competed for trade in the area from the 15th century onward. In 1677 France ended up in possession of what had become an important slave trade departure point—the infamous island of Gorée next to modern Dakar. Millions of West African people were shipped from here. In 1960 Senegal achieved independence. Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cape Verde Peninsula on the country's Atlantic coast. It is famous as the end of the Paris-Dakar rally.