{{Dakar infobox}}
'''Dakar''' is the capital of Senegal, home to the Senegal National Assembly and Senegal Presidential Palace.
==History==
The city of Dakar formed around a French fort. It was founded in 1857 after residents moved from the nearby island of Gorée. It grew as a Port and around a railway to Saint-Louis, opened in 1885 but now only used for special excursions. The city later became a Naval_base, and replaced Saint-Louis as the capital of French_Wesof_[[Senegal, located on the Cap-Vert, and the Caribbean) than through any other single port in Africa. The Fort D'Estrees on Gorée Island, where slaves were held, auctioned, and packed onto ships, was restored by the Senegalese government in the 20th century and transformed into a museum. French_West_Africa had its headquarters here when it was founded, in 1862.
==Administration==
The city of Dakar is a Commune (also sometimes known as ''commune de ville''), one of the 67 communes of Senegal. The commune of Dakar was created by the French colonial administration on June_17, 1887 by detaching it from the commune of Gorée. The commune of Gorée, created in 1872, was itself one of the oldest western-style municipalities in Africa (along with the municipalities of Algeria and South_Africa).
The commune of Dakar has been in continuous existence since 1887, being preserved by the new state of Senegal after independence in 1960, although its limits have varied considerably over time. The limits of the commune of Dakar have been unchanged since 1983. The commune of Dakar is ruled by a democratically elected municipal council (''conseil municipal'') serving five years, and a mayor elected by the municipal council. There have been 20 mayors in Dakar since 1887. The first Black mayor was Blaise_Diagne, mayor of Dakar from 1924 to 1934. The longest serving mayor was Mamadou_Diop, mayor for 18 years between 1984 and 2002.
The commune of Dakar is also a ''Département'', one of the 34 ''départements'' of Senegal. This situation is quite similar to Paris in France which is both a commune and a ''département''. However, contrary to French ''départements'', ''départements'' in Senegal have no political power (no departmental assembly), and are merely local administrative structures of the central state, in charge of carrying out some administrative services as well as controlling the activities of the communes within the ''département''.
The ''département'' of Dakar is divided into four Arrondissements: Almadies, Grand Dakar, Parcelles Assanies (which literally means "drained lots"; this is the most populated arrondissement of Dakar), and Plateau/Gorée (downtown Dakar). These arrondissements are quite different from the Arrondissements_of_Paris, being merely local administrative structures of the central state, like the Senegalese ''départements'', and are thus more comparable to French departmental arrondissements.
In 1996, a massive reform of the administrative and political divisions of Senegal was voted by the Parliament of Senegal. The commune of Dakar, whose population approached 1 million inhabitants, was deemed too large and too populated to be properly managed by a central municipality, and so on August_30, 1996 Dakar was divided into 19 ''communes d'arrondissement''.
These ''communes d'arrondissement'' were given extensive powers, and are very much like regular communes. They have more powers than the arrondissements of Paris, and are more akin to the London_boroughs. The commune of Dakar was maintained above these 19 ''communes d'arrondissement'', and it coordinates the activities of the ''communes d'arrondissement'', much as Greater_London coordinates the activities of the London boroughs.
The 19 ''communes d'arrondissement'' belong to any of the four arrondissements of Dakar, and the ''sous-préfet'' of each arrondissement is in charge of controlling the activities of the ''communes d'arrondissement'' in his arrondissement.
Image:Dakar_ngor.jpg - a northern suburb of Dakar, near the Yoff_Airport.]]
The ''commune d'arrondissement'' of Dakar-Plateau (34,626 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée, is the historical heart of the city, and most ministries and public administrations are located there. The densest and most populated ''commune d'arrondissement'' is Médina (136,697 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée. The ''commune d'arrondissement'' of Yoff (55,995 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Almadies, is the largest one, while the smallest one is the ''commune d'arrondissement'' of Île de Gorée (1,034 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée.
The ''département'' of Dakar is one of the four ''départements'' of the Dakar ''région'', which is one of the 11 ''régions of Senegal''. The Dakar ''région'' encompasses the city of Dakar and all its suburbs along the Cape Verde Peninsula. Its territory is thus roughly the same as the territory of the metropolitan area of Dakar. Since the administrative reforms of 1996, the ''régions'' of Senegal, which until then were merely local administrative structures of the central state, have been turned into full-fledged political units, with democratically elected regional councils, and regional presidents. They were given extensive powers, and manage economic development, transportation, or environmental protection issues at the regional level, thus coordinating the actions of the communes below them.
Following the political transition of 2000 when Abdoulaye_Wade, leader of the opposition (Senegalese_Democratic_Party, or PDS), defeated President Abdou_Diouf (Socialist_Party_of_Senegal), local elections were held in 2002. Two leaders of the PDS, Pape Diop and Abdoulaye Faye, ambitioned to become mayor of Dakar. Eventually, a compromise was found: Pape Diop would run for the municipal election of Dakar, while Abdoulaye Faye would run for the regional election of Dakar. The local elections of Senegal were held on May_12, 2002, and saw the PDS largely defeating the Socialists. Pape Diop was elected mayor of Dakar, defeating the long time Socialist mayor Mamadou Diop, while Abdoulaye Faye was elected president of the regional council of the Dakar ''région'', defeating the Socialists who hitherto controlled the ''région''.
==Sights==
Attractions in Dakar include major Markets, Dakar_Grand_Mosque (built in 1964), Gorée Island, the IFAN_Museum of West_African culture, Clifftop walks and Beaches, and Hann_Park, home to Senegal_Zoo.
==Transportation==
The town serves as a port and is home to the Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport. It is also the terminus of the Dakar-Niger_railroad_line.
==Miscellaneous==
Dakar is the finishing point of the Paris_Dakar_Rally and Dakar is member of the Organization_of_World_Heritage_Cities. Cheikh_Anta_Diop_University, also known as the University of Dakar, was established in 1957.
==External links==
*dakarville.sn - City of Dakar official website (in French).
Category:Coastal_cities
Category:Capitals_in_Africa
Category:Cities_in_Senegal
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