Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

DAKAR

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V07, Page 762 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

DAKAR , a seaport of See also:

Senegal, and See also:capital of See also:French See also:West See also:Africa, in 140 40' N., 170 24' W. The See also:town, which is strongly fortified, holds a commanding strategic position on the route between western See also:Europe and See also:Brazil and See also:South Africa, being situated in the Gulf of See also:Goree on the eastern See also:side of the See also:peninsula of Cape Verde, the most See also:westerly point of Africa. It is the only See also:port of Senegal affording safe anchorage for the largest See also:ships. Pop. (1904), within the municipal limits, 18,447; including suburbs, 23,452. The town consists for the most See also:part of broad and See also:regular streets and possesses several See also:fine public buildings, notably the See also:palace of the See also:governor-See also:general. It is plentifully supplied with See also:good See also:water and is fairly healthy. It is the starting point of the railway to St See also:Louis, and is within five days See also:steam of See also:Lisbon. The See also:harbour, built in 1904-1908, is formed by two jetties, one of 684o ft., the other of 1968 ft., the entrance being 720 ft. wide. There are three commercial docks, with over 7000 ft. of quayage, ships See also:drawing 26 ft. being able to See also:moor alongside. See also:Cargo is transferred directly to the railway trucks. There is also a See also:naval See also:dock and See also:arsenal with a See also:torpedo-See also:boat See also:basin 755 ft. by 410 ft. and a dry dock 656 ft. See also:long and 92 ft. broad.

The Messageries Maritimes See also:

Company use the port as a coaling station and provisioning See also:depot for their South See also:American See also:trade. Dakar is a regular port of See also:call for other French lines and for the See also:Elder See also:Dempster boats sailing between See also:Liverpool and the West See also:Coast of Africa. It shares with Rufisque and St Louis the See also:external trade of Senegal and the adjacent regions. For trade See also:statistics see SENEGAL. Dakar was originally a dependency of Goree and was founded in 1862, a See also:year after the See also:declaration of a French See also:protectorate over the mainland. The port was opened for See also:commerce in 1867, and in 1885 its importance was greatly increased by the completion of the railway (163 m. long) to St Louis. Dakar thus came into See also:direct communication with the countries of Upper Senegal and the See also:middle See also:Niger. In 1887 the town was made a See also:commune on the French See also:model, all citizens irrespective of See also:colour being granted the See also:franchise. In 1903 the offices of the governor-general and of the See also:court of See also:appeal of French West Africa were transferred from St Louis to Dakar, which is also the seat of a See also:bishop. In See also:February 1905 a submarine See also:cable was laid between See also:Brest and Dakar, affording direct telegraphic communication between See also:France and her West See also:African colonies by an all French route.

End of Article: DAKAR

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
DAISY (A.S. daeges cage, day's eye) 		[next]
DALAGUETE

Site © 2006 - Net Industries