The Petite Côte is a stretch of coast in

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 ...

, running south from the

Cap-Vert Cap-Vert, or the Cape Verde Peninsula, and Kap Weert or Bopp bu Nëtëx (in Wolof), is a peninsula in Senegal and the westernmost point of the continent of Africa and of the Afro-Eurasia mainland. Portuguese explorers called it Cabo Verde or ...

peninsula to the Saloum Delta, near the border with

the Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. The northern section near

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

contains seaside resorts such as Saly Portudal, Rufisque, Nianing and Popenguine-Ndayane. The entire coast is part of the city of M'Bour, with fishing villages, such as Toubab Dialaw, Joal-Fadiout, Palmarin and Djiffer.Connolly, Sean,''Senegal'',

Bradt Travel Guides Bradt Travel Guides is a publisher of travel guides founded in 1974 by Hilary Bradt and her husband George, who co-wrote the first Bradt Guide on a river barge on a tributary of the Amazon. Since then Bradt has grown into a leading independent ...

(2015), p. 139-140,

(Retrieved 14 April 2019)

History

During the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, Portuguese emigrants known as

lançados The ''lançados'' (literally, ''the launched ones'') were settlers and colonizers of Portuguese origin in Senegambia, Cabo Verde, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and other areas on the coast of West Africa. Many were Jews—often New Christians—escaping ...

formed communities along Petite Côte in the region of

Senegambia The Senegambia (other names: Senegambia region or Senegambian zone,Barry, Boubacar, ''Senegambia and the Atlantic Slave Trade'', (Editors: David Anderson, Carolyn Brown; trans. Ayi Kwei Armah; contributors: David Anderson, American Council of Le ...

. Some were

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

fleeing the

Portuguese Inquisition The Portuguese Inquisition (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Inquisição Portuguesa''), officially known as the General Council of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Portugal, was formally established in Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal in 15 ...

, who married African women and formed local families. During the early sixteenth century these

Luso-Africans Luso-Africans are people of mixed Portuguese and African ancestry who speak Portuguese. The vast majority of Luso-Africans live in former Portuguese Africa, now referred to as '' Lusophone Africa'', comprising the modern countries of Angola, Gu ...

had established trading centers in Petite Côte and elsewhere along coastal West Africa. Luso-Africans descended from continental Africans, Portuguese settlers, and Cape Verdeans, developing a culture that mixed both African and European cultures. Lançado communities in Senegambia maintained close economic ties with Portugal and Cape Verde. Offspring of Lançado men and African women were known as ''filhos de terra'' and were generally considered to be "Portuguese".

References

Coasts of the Atlantic Ocean Geography of Senegal Jews and Judaism in Africa Portuguese colonisation in Africa Portuguese-Jewish diaspora in Africa Serer country {{Senegal-geo-stub

History

See also

References