Senegal Gambia - A History of Nations

Author: Zhang Xiang, Jia Xiiping, Xing Fuhua (editors)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-02-01
Features: The Republic of Senegal is located at the western tip of Sub-Saharan Africa. The peninsula where the capital, Dakar, is situated extends into the Atlantic Ocean, connected to inland areas by railways and highways, making it an international transportation hub. It was once the political, economic, and cultural center of French West Africa. After gaining independence in 1960, poet Léopold Sédar Senghor became the first president. His "African Traditional Spirit" theory and democratic socialist policies gave the country a uniquely distinctive development path. Every government has pursued a peace policy and actively participated in peacekeeping operations, earning a good international reputation. Gambia shares a border with Senegal, and its territory is even embedded within Senegal. However, long-term British colonial rule has made this microcountry, established in 1965, linguistically and developmentally different from Senegal. The Gambia River basin constitutes the entirety of the country. Re-export trade, peanut farming, and tourism are the three pillars of its economy. The American novel Roots' depiction of the slave trade has made Western Black people visit the country in large numbers every year to trace their roots. The Republic of Senegal is located at the western tip of Sub-Saharan Africa. The peninsula where the capital, Dakar, is situated extends into the Atlantic Ocean, connected to inland areas by railways and highways, making it an international transportation hub. It was once the political, economic, and cultural center of French West Africa. After gaining independence in 1960, poet Léopold Sédar Senghor became the first president. His "African Traditional Spirit" theory and democratic socialist policies gave the country a uniquely distinctive development path. Every government has pursued a peace policy and actively participated in peacekeeping operations, earning a good international reputation. Gambia shares a border with Senegal, and its territory is even embedded within Senegal. However, long-term British colonial rule has made this microcountry, established in 1965, linguistically and developmentally different from Senegal. The Gambia River basin constitutes the entirety of the country. Re-export trade, peanut farming, and tourism are the three pillars of its economy. The American novel Roots' depiction of the slave trade has made Western Black people visit the country in large numbers every year to trace their roots.