Fatick ( wo, Fatik, srr, Fatik) is a town in

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

, located between

M'bour M'Bour or Mbour ( ar, مبور; Wolof: ''Mbuur''), is a city in the Thiès Region of Senegal. It lies on the Petite Côte, approximately eighty kilometers south of Dakar. It is home to a population of nearly 233,000 (2013 census). The city's ma ...

and

Kaolack Kaolack ( ar, كاولاك; wo, Kawlax) is a town of 172,305 people (2002 census) on the north bank of the Saloum River and the N1 road in Senegal. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders The Gambia to the south. Kaolack is an i ...

and inhabited by the

Serer people The Serer people are a West African ethnoreligious group.

. Its 2005 population was estimated at 24,243. It is the capital of the Fatick Region and the

Fatick Department Fatick Department is one of the 45 departments of Senegal, one of the three departments making up the Fatick Region, and lies on the road between Mbour and Kaolack. The Fatick region is home to many Sereer people; the Sereers are one of the majo ...

Toponymy

Its name (Fatick), including its region and department take their names from one of the Serer maternal clans (''Fatik'')—which derives from the Serer term ''Fati Ubadik'' ("we have more to go"). The name is also spelled ''Patik'' following its pronunciation which is the same as the Fatik matriclan. The 15th century King of Sine Wasilla Faye named it after his father's matriclan. His father was a member of the Patik matriclan.

History

The city has several ancient sites classified as historical monuments and added to the

World heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

list. There is also the site of ''Mind Ngo Mindiss'', located in the Sine River, where libations and offerings are made, the site of Ndiobaye, where traditional ceremonies takes place, and Ndeb Jab, which houses a sacred tree at Ndiaye-Ndiaye. These sites are sacred places in

Serer religion The Serer religion, or ''a ƭat Roog'' ("the way of the Divine"), is the original religious beliefs, practices, and teachings of the Serer people of Senegal in West Africa. The Serer religion believes in a universal supreme deity called Roog ...

.''African Studies Quarterly'', Volume 14, Issue 3 (March 2014), "Fed Up: Creating a New Type of Senegal through the Arts", Guest Editors: Enz, Molly Krueger and Bryson, Devin, Published by the Center for African Studies,

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, p. 36 (note 5),

(Retrieved 4 June 2018) The ''

Xooy The Xooy (meaning "macerate" in Serer, sometimes spelled XoyAfrica Consultants International (2000), ''Yëgóo: magazine d'échanges inter-culturels, Issues 0-11'', p. lix or Khoy) is a Serer divination ceremony held once a year in Fatick, Se ...

ceremony'' (or ''Khoy''), performed by the Serer high priests and priestesses (the

Saltigue The Saltigue (other spelling: Saltigué, Saltigui or Saltigi in Serer), are Serer high priests and priestesses who preside over the religious ceremonies and affairs of the Serer people, such as the ''Xooy'' (or ''Xoy'') ceremony, the biggest ev ...

s), takes place at Fatick once a year.

Geography

Fatick is located "in the savanna belt of the West African

Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid cli ...

, a sandy arid region south of the

Sahara desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

." The nearest towns are Nerane, Pourham, Mbirk Pourham and Tok.

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

, the capital of Senegal, is located 155 km away.

Climate

Under Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, it 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- ...

(BSh).

Population

In the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

es of 1988 and 2002, the estimate population figures were 18,416 and 23,149 respectively. In 2007, according to official estimates, the population was 24,855.

Economy

Since the peanut trade is losing momentum,

salt marshes A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domina ...

are the main local resource.

Notable people from Fatick

Macky Sall Macky Sall (, wo, Maki Sàll, fuc, 𞤃𞤢𞤳𞤭 𞤅𞤢𞤤‎, italic=no, Maki Sal; born 11 December 1961) is a Senegalese politician who has been President of Senegal since April 2012. He was re-elected President in the first round vot ...

, former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

and current President of Senegal *

Chérif Ousmane Sarr Chérif Ousmane Sarr (born 2 August 1986) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for French lower-league club Vierzon. Career Sarr was born in Fatick, Senegal. He signed for then Ligue 2 side Troyes AC in the summer of 2007 from Grenoble Fo ...

, footballer *

Alioune Badara M'Bengue Alioune Badara Mbengue (1 February 1924 – 12 November 1992) was a Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Se ...

, politician

Fatick in popular culture

Carolee Buck, who with her husband Art worked in Fatick as a

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John ...

volunteer, published ''Peace Corps Senegal, 1968-1970'' in 2020.

References

{{Authority control Communes of Senegal Fatick Region Regional capitals in Senegal Populated places in Fatick Region Serer holy places Holy cities