Joal-Fadiouth is a town and commune in the

Thiès Region Thiès is a region of western Senegal. The capital is also called Thiès. Geography Thiès has two coastlines, one in the north with the Grande Côte housing the Niayes vegetable market, one to the south with the Petite Côte, one of the tourist ...

at the end of the

Petite Côte The Petite Côte is a stretch of coast in Senegal, running south from the Cap-Vert peninsula to the Saloum Delta, near the border with the Gambia. The northern section near Dakar contains seaside resorts such as Saly Portudal, Rufisque, Nianing a ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

, south-east of Dakar. ''Joal'' lies on the mainland, while ''Fadiouth'', linked by a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, lies on an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two she ...

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard ou ...

s, which are also used in local

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

and

crafts A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale prod ...

. The village has no motorised transport evidenced by the sign on entering. It has large

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

populations with

cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

on another shell island. Another attraction is

granaries A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals ...

stilt Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates. They have extremely long legs, hence the grou ...

s in the water. The population of the commune in 2013 was some 46,000.

History

While the origin of the village remains disputed, the establishment of the Serer in the area is assumed to have begun when the advance of the

Almoravids The Almoravid dynasty ( ar, المرابطون, translit=Al-Murābiṭūn, lit=those from the ribats) was an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire in the 11th century that ...

in the 11th century forced them to leave the

Sénégal River ,french: Fleuve Sénégal) , name_etymology = , image = Senegal River Saint Louis.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = Fishermen on the bank of the Senegal River estuary at the outskirts of Saint-Louis, Senegal ...

valley, occupying the

and the region of the

Sine River The River Sine or Sine River (Siin in Serer language) is a river in Senegal. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean with the River Saloum in the delta of Sine-Saloum. See also *Saloum Delta National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. *Saloum River ...

. Another theory claims that Joal and Fadiouth have been founded by the

Guelowar Guelowar, also spelled Gelwar, Guelwar, Guelware, Gueleware or Gueloware, was a maternal dynasty in the pre-colonial Serer kingdoms of Sine and Saloum (in the Senegambia, but mainly in the western area of present-day Senegal). They were from the ...

when they were expelled from the kingdom of

Kaabu The Kaabu Empire (1537–1867), also written Gabu, Ngabou, and N'Gabu, was an empire in the Senegambia region centered within modern northeastern Guinea-Bissau, larger parts of today's Gambia; extending into Koussanar, Koumpentoum, regions ...

. Both of these theories find their validation by observing the frequency of certain surnames, indicating ethnic group in the region. In the early 17th century, until around 1635, a community of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

traders lived in the village, trading with

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Protected by the local chief, they were allowed to openly profess their religion, to the annoyance of the Portuguese (

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

) government. During the colonial period, Joal became one of the largest trading posts in Western Senegal. The setting up of European posts during the

triangular trade Triangular trade or triangle trade is trade between three ports or regions. Triangular trade usually evolves when a region has export commodities that are not required in the region from which its major imports come. It has been used to offset t ...

made the village one of the regions that was penetrated by missionaries as early as the 17th-century. The

proselytisation Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between '' evangelism'' or '' Da‘wah'' and proselytism regarding proselytism as invo ...

however was met by strong resistance by the local population, delaying large-scale evangelising by the Europeans to the 19th-century when Senegal became a French colony. In 1850, a mission was finally established in the village, the first priest was ordained there in 1885. It was during that time that the passage of

El Hadj Umar Tall Hadji Oumarûl Foutiyou Tall (Umar ibn Sa'id al-Futi Tal, ar, حاج عمر بن سعيد طعل), ( – 1864 CE), born in Futa Tooro, present day Senegal, was a West African political leader, Islamic scholar, Tijani Sufi and Toucouleur ...

was commemorated by building a mosque for his appraisal. The important architectural legacy recalling this memorable passing is in danger of deterioration.

Administration

Joal-Fadiouth was initially a canton, later on a county seat. It was elevated to a commune on 1 February 1966, with the process being completed by decree n° 72-82 on 3 February 1972 defining the borders of the commune. Today, Joal-Fadiouth is a part of the M'bour Department, occupying the southernmost point of the

. Bordering the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

in the west, the commune incorporates the

rural community In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

of Nguéniène in the north and the rural community of

Palmarin Palmarin (also called Palmarin Fakao, Palmarin-facao, or Nguedj) is a coastal village in Senegal, located in Sine-Saloum near Sangomar Point between Joal-Fadiouth and Djifer. History Palmarin was formerly part of the Kingdom of Sine The Kingdom ...

in the south. Its mayors have been Jean Collin, Emmanuel Sobel Diouf, Paul Ndong and presently Boucar Diouf

Geology

Joal-Fadiouth occupies an intermediate point between the Sahel Belt and the humid

Casamance , settlement_type = Geographical region , image_skyline = Senegal Casamance.png , image_caption = Casamance in Senegal , image_flag = Flag of Casamance.svg , image_shield = , motto ...

region. Due to its position in an estuary, the greater part of the commune (3,021 hectares) is seasonally flooded. The climate is typical of the Sahel with 3 to 4 months of winter from July to October and mild temperatures from November to April. The annual average temperature is 29 °C. The estuary is at any time of the year populated by mangroves, it is pervaded by , arms of the sea common to the coast of Senegal, mixing salt-water with river water and sprinkled with little isles of sea shells populated by

baobabs ''Adansonia'' is a genus made up of eight species of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs ( or ). They are placed in the Malvaceae family, subfamily Bombacoideae. They are native to Madagascar, mainland Africa, and Australia.Tropi ...

and

acacias ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

. The mangrove woods are populated by sea birds ( sea gulls,

woodcock The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...

flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of Wader, wading bird in the Family (biology), family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas ...

s). Monkeys,

ciconia __NOTOC__ ''Ciconia'' ( ; ) is a genus of birds in the stork family. Six of the seven living species occur in the Old World, but the maguari stork has a South American range. In addition, fossils suggest that ''Ciconia'' storks were somewhat mor ...

s and

hyena Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...

s are also to be found there. This island has millions of sea shells, the local people use the shells to decorate their graves.

Population

The most recent census of 2013 put the population at 45,903 people. The population is predominantly of Serer origin. In a country with an overwhelming majority of Muslims, the inhabitants of the isle of Fadiouth are 90% Christian.

Economy

The main income of Joal is fishing (it is the largest fishing harbour of Senegal),

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

Famous personalities

*The first president of Senegal,

Léopold Sédar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor (; ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese poet, politician and cultural theorist who was the first president of Senegal (1960–80). Ideologically an African socialist, he was the major theoretician o ...

, was born at Joal. It is possible to visit his birthplace which carries the name Mbind Diogoye ("lion's mansion" in Serer) *

Yékini Yékini is the nickname of Yakhya Diop (26 February 1974 in Joal), a popular champion of Senegalese wrestling, the most prominent variant of the Lutte Traditionnelle, a West African folk tradition which has become a major professional sport in ...

, the champion of

Senegalese wrestling Senegalese wrestling (''Njom'' in Serer, ''Lutte sénégalaise'' or simply ''Lutte avec frappe'' in French, ''Laamb'' in Wolof, ''Siɲɛta'' in Bambara) is a type of folk wrestling traditionally performed by the Serer people and now a nation ...

was born in Joal. *The first missionary who died in Senegal is buried in the cemetery of Fadiouth with a white cross marking his grave. *In 2000, the writer Kama Sywor Kamanda was made an honorary citizen of Joal-Fadiouth.

Climate

Fadiouth has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

(BSh) with no rainfall from November to May and moderate to heavy rainfall from June to October.

References

External links

* {{Islands of Senegal Populated places in Thiès Region Atlantic islands of Senegal Communes of Senegal