The Langue de Barbarie (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

for " Barbary spit of land", named after the Barbary Coast) is a thin, sandy

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, located in western Senegal, in the neighbourhood of the city of Saint-Louis. The peninsula separates the ocean from the final section of the

Senegal 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 ...

National park

The Langue de Barbarie

National Park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

(french: Parc National de la Langue de Barbarie) is located at the southern edge of the peninsula. Covering an area of , it is home to an abundant variety of bird species and three species of turtle, including the critically endangered

hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is largel ...

. The park was named a

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

2003 breach and environmental disaster

A breach was cut in the peninsula near the city of Saint-Louis on 3 October 2003 to help counter possible flooding. However, the breach quickly widened to and separated the southern end of the peninsula permanently from the main country, effectively transforming it into an island. the sea has claimed over of land and has caused the loss of villages and tourist resorts in addition to changes in the flora and fauna of the peninsula. By January 2020, the breach had widened to 6 km.

References

External links

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{{authority control Peninsulas of Africa Saint-Louis, Senegal Senegal River Environmental disasters in Africa National parks of Senegal Ramsar sites in Senegal