Kédougou (

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

: Keédugu) is a town in the

Kédougou Region Kédougou (Wolof language, Wolof: Keédugu) is a town in the Kédougou Region of south-eastern Senegal near the border with Mali and Guinea. It lies at an elevation of above sea level. Founded by the Malinké , Malinké people, Kédougou means ...

of south-eastern

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

near the border with

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

and

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

. It lies at an elevation of above sea level. Founded by the Malinké people, Kédougou means the "Land of Man". The town lies on the N7 road and the River Gambia amid the Pays Bassari hills and

Fouta Djallon Fouta Djallon (, , ; ) is a Highland (geography), highland region in the center of Guinea, roughly corresponding with Middle Guinea, in West Africa. Etymology The Fulani people call the region Fouta Jallon Kingdom, Fuuta-Jaloo ( ) in the Pular l ...

foothills. Local attractions include the Dindefelo Falls and

Niokolo-Koba National Park The Niokolo-Koba National Park (, PNNK) is a World Heritage Site and natural protected area in southeastern Senegal, near the Guinea border. It is served by Niokolo-Koba Airport, an unpaved airstrip. National park Established as a reserve in 1 ...

. The main sources of income in the town are agriculture, small-scale commerce, construction, and

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from Alluvium, alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to mor ...

. There is a military camp, a hospital, a community radio station and library, a Peace Corps Office and a number of small businesses. The most commonly spoken languages are

Pulaar Pulaar (in Latin script, Latin: , in Ajami script, Ajami: ), often referred to as Pulaar du Nord, is dialect of the Fula language spoken primarily as a first language by the Fula people, Fula and Toucouleur peoples in the Senegal River valley ar ...

, Bassari, Bedik, Diakhanké,

Malinké The Mandinka or Malinke are a West African ethnic group primarily found in southern Mali, The Gambia, southern Senegal and eastern Guinea. Numbering about 11 million, they are the largest subgroup of the Mandé peoples and one of the largest eth ...

and French. In 2007, according to official estimates, Kédougou had a population of 18,860.

Transport

A proposed railway branching off the existing line at

Tambacounda Tambacounda (; Wolof: Tambaakundaa ) is the largest city in eastern Senegal, southeast of Dakar, and is the regional capital of the province of the same name. Its population in 2023 was 149,071. Geography Tambacounda is situated on the sparsel ...

would serve this town.

Mining

The gold-mining industry has brought several large-scale foreign mining companies to the Kédougou area. This has been a source of tension with some local residents, who point to a lack of jobs available to locals. In late 2008, protests over the practices of gold mines in the region turned violent. On 23 December 2008, a protest march culminated in the burning of government buildings and the security forces firing on demonstrators. The next several days saw widespread destruction of property, looting, and according to a Senegalese human rights group, the

mass arrest A mass arrest occurs when police apprehend large numbers of suspects at once. This sometimes occurs at protests. Some mass arrests are also used in an effort to combat gang activity. This is sometimes controversial, and lawsuits sometimes result. ...

and torture of suspects. There were also reports that many residents fled the town, some as far as

. Security forces reported one dead, 23 civilians and 10 gendarmes wounded."Senegal: Scores Flee Town After Riot Over Living Conditions"
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 2 January 2009.

Climate

Kédougou has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Aw'') featuring hot to sweltering, rainless winters and hot, rainy summers.

References

External links

Peace Corps Senegal, Kedougou Page

Friends of Peace Corps Kedougou
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kedougou Communes of Senegal Populated places in Kédougou region Regional capitals in Senegal

Transport

Mining

Climate

See also

References

External links