Ziguinchor is a city of the south of the Senegal, chief town of the Département of Ziguinchor of the Région of Ziguinchor and historical area of the Casamance (130 000 inhabitants). The city was founded in 1645 by the Portuguese before being sold with the France in 1888 which made an important commercial counter of it.

Administrative

The city is the chief town of the department, the area of Ziguinchor and the Casamance.

The city has a French consulate.

The city has a diocese.

History

Ziguinchor was initially a Comptoir Portuguese at the beginning of the 17th century.

In 1886 the Portuguese and the French sign an agreement. The France recovers it on April 22nd 1888. The city became prosperous inter alia thanks to groundnut.

Consequently the area was gradually converted with Christianity.

After the Second world war, the city saw its slowed down rise, between-others because of the frontier disorders with the Guinea-Bissau (then allied Dictature of ex the U.S.S.R. Union of the Soviet socialist republics).
In the Années 1960 it was not rare to hear since Ziguinchor of the blows of guns, nor to see the city crossed by light armoured tanks of the French Army.

Indeed frontier cutting crossed into two the territory of the Diola S which one found on each side of the border.

At this time there, Ziguinchor exported towards Dakar and the Europe of the Arachide S, and the Crevette S.

Chief town of an area with Christian predominance in a country with strong Moslem predominance, moreover more separated from the north of Senegal by the enclave of the Gambia, Ziguinchor was forsaken a little and known serious political disturbances in the Années 1980.

In the Années 1960 the French of Ziguinchor discovered and used the beach of the Cape Skirring like vacation resort, which was recovered thereafter by the Club the Mediterranean.

Geography

Geological physics

The town of Ziguinchor is located in the south-west of Senegal at the edge of the Casamance at approximately 70 km of the Atlantic Ocean.

It is connected to Dakar by road, boat and plane.

Until the years 1980 to cross Casamance towards north there was a vat, since a bridge was built above the river, in the east of the city.

Like all the area, the city has a rather low altitude. It is of approximately 12 meters, which gives us an uneven means to the ocean of approximately 17 centimetres per kilometer.

Population

At the time of the censuses of 1988 and 2002, the population was respectively of 124.283 and 153.269 inhabitants.

In 2007, according to the official estimates, the city would count 158.370 people.

Economy

From the Years 1970 Ziguinchor and the Casamance knew four new economic problems:

• the American groundnut broke in Europe,
• the small shrimp of the North Sea supplanted the " grosse" shrimp,
• the economic and tourist competition of the Cape Skirring
• political problems of Casamance (claim of independence)

The visit of the pope Jean-Paul II in 1992 seems to have marked the revival of the city, a recognition and a new stability.

Twinnings

Personalities born in Ziguinchor

• Daniel Bocandé, footballer
• Jules Bocandé, footballer
• Aliou Cissé, footballer
• Joachim Fernandez, footballer
• Emilie Gomis, basketteuse
• Touré Kunda, musicians
• Ousmane Sembène, scenario writer

See too

Internal bonds

• Aéroport of Ziguinchor
• Put Sport
• Conflit in Casamance

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