Dakar is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 million in 2023.
Saint-Louis or Saint Louis, is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 kilometres (200 mi) north of Senegal's capital city Dakar. It had a population of 254,171 in 2023. Saint-Louis was the capital of the French colony of Senegal from 1673 until 1902 and French West Africa from 1895 until 1902, when the capital was moved to Dakar. From 1920 to 1957, it also served as the capital of the neighboring colony of Mauritania.
Louis Léon César Faidherbe was a French general and colonial administrator. He created the Senegalese Tirailleurs when he was governor of Senegal.
Kayes is a city in western Mali on the Sénégal River with a population of 127,368 at the 2009 census. Kayes is the capital of the administrative region of the same name. The city is located 420 kilometres (260 mi) northwest of the capital Bamako.
Tambacounda is the largest city in eastern Senegal, 400 kilometres (250 mi) southeast of Dakar, and is the regional capital of the province of the same name. Its population in 2023 was 149,071.
The Dakar–Niger Railway connects Dakar, Senegal to Koulikoro, Mali. The name refers to the Niger River, not the Republic of Niger. It serves many cities in Senegal, including Thiès, and in Mali, including Kayes, Kita, Kati, Bamako. The line covers a course of 1,287 km of which 641 km lies in Mali.
The Administration des chemins de fer de l'État, often referred to in France as the Réseau de l'État, was an early state-owned French railway company.
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. In the past it was an important port city in its own right, but is now a suburb of Dakar.
Établissements Billard was a French railway rolling stock construction company founded in 1920 and based in Tours. It specialised in light railbuses and metre gauge and narrow gauge rolling stock. The business ceased trading in 1956 and later became Socofer.
Trade unionism is a powerful force in the politics, economy, and culture of Senegal, and was one of the earliest trades union movements to form in Francophone West Africa.
Rail transport in Morocco was initially developed during the protectorate. It functioned primarily as a means to mobilize colonial troops and to transport natural resources. Later, a standard-gauge network was built.
Senegal's rail network consists of 906 km of railway at 1,000 mm gauge, and 36 km of 1,445 mm gauge. The metre-gauge network is part of the Dakar–Niger Railway which crosses the border to Mali. The railway is operated by Transrail, managed by the Belgian company Vecturis.
The French conquest of Senegal started in 1659 with the establishment of Saint-Louis, Senegal, followed by the French capture of the island of Gorée from the Dutch in 1677, but would only become a full-scale campaign in the 19th century.
There is a significant community of Lebanese people in Senegal. Lebanese migration to Senegal began in the late 19th century, largely motivated by economic prospects in trade and commerce. While retaining cultural ties to Lebanon and largely practicing endogamy, they've assimilated into Senegalese society, predominantly engaged in commerce. Official statistics on the Lebanese population in Senegal are absent, with estimates ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 as of 2006.
The Petit train de banlieue (PTB) was a passenger train providing regular commuter rail service between the Dakar railway station and Thiès via Thiaroye and Rufisque.
The railway from Strasbourg to Basel is a French and Swiss 141.3-kilometre long railway line. It is used for passenger and freight traffic. The railway was opened in 1840–1844. It was the first railway line to serve Switzerland.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Dakar, Senegal.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Saint-Louis, Senegal.
The Rufisque tramway was a 14 km (8.7 mi) long, hand-operated light railway with track gauges of 400 mm and 600 mm in Rufisque in Senegal.
