Place:Tambacounda

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Tambacounda (Wolof: Tambaakundaa[1]) is the largest city in eastern Senegal, 400 kilometres (250 mi) southeast of Dakar, and is the regional capital of the province of the same name.[2][3] Its population in 2023 was 149,071.[4]

Geography

Tambacounda is situated on the sparsely populated sahélien plains of eastern Senegal.[5] Nearby towns include Madina Maboule, Koukari, Yoro Sankoule, Sambadian, Djidje Kounda, Afia Seno, Saare Boylii, and Kanderi Niana.[6][7]

Climate

Tambacounda has a tropical savanna climate. Like most of West Africa, the area has two seasons: a rainy season from June to October, characterized by heat, humidity, and storms, and a very hot dry season with little or no rain from November to May. The average annual precipitation is 887 mm (34.9 in).[8]

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History

Tambacounda was founded by Mandinka settlers of the Jatta (Diatta) family who had been driven out of the valley of the Faleme river by an expanding Bundu in the 18th century. When they arrived at the future side of Tambacounda they found a single hut, inhabited by a slave named Tamba, who welcomed them, and named the community after him.[11][12]: 142  The town, a center of the peanut trade with the English, was attacked by Bundu in 1863.[12]: 140 

The Kingdom of Wuli became a French protectorate in 1888.[13] The Dakar–Bamako railway reached Tambacounda in 1913.[14] In 1919, it became the administrative capital of a new eponymous cercle.[15] With access to the railroad, in the 1920s came more intensive cultivation of grains, peanuts and cotton. French colonial authorities made the town a major transport hub, and a number of buildings, including the rail station retain the colonial flavor.

The train ran until 2018, when it was forced out of service due to a lack of maintenance of the rails. As of January 2024, however, major upgrades are being done, with plans to relaunch passenger and freight service between Tambacounda and Dakar.[16]

Population and culture

Between the censuses of 1988 and 2002, Tambacounda grew from 41,885 to 67,543 inhabitants. In 2007, according to official estimates, the population reached 78,800 persons.[17]

Settled first by Mandinka people, on the regular transhumance routes of Fula cattle herders, and settled again by Wolof farmers in the early 20th century, Tambacounda has a mix of most of the ethnic groups in Senegal.[18]

The Tambacounda region is well known for its strong djembe drumming and dance traditions. In the mid-20th century, several of the most respected djembe masters from Segu, Mali came to Tambacounda, bringing with them their history, knowledge, and secrets of the djembe.[19] Among the most notable musicians from Tambacounda was drummer Abdoulaye Diakité.[20]

Religion

As with most of Senegal, the population is overwhelmingly Muslim, with much of the Wolof population in the region tracing their roots to Mouride sufi adherents who were given wild grassland by the brotherhood to clear and settle at the beginning of the 20th century. There is a Roman Catholic Diocese of Tambacounda, but only 1.8% of the population of the region is Roman Catholic.[21]

Transport

Train station, 2009

Besides the Dakar–Bamako railway, historically the city's major engine of growth, Tambacounda lies on the N1 and N7 roads. As a part of the Trans-Sahelian Highway system, these are critical for traffic going between the Kayes Region of Mali and the coastal regions of Sénégal (Dakar, Thiès, Saint-Louis), the most densely populated parts of both these nations. This east–west travel intersects with Senegal's most important route from Dakar to the Casamance region, which is cut off by Gambia. The road through Tambacounda is the only internal route between the two parts of the country that does not cross the Gambian border.[22]

The town also has an airport, Tambacounda Airport, serviced by national and international flights.[23]

A farm near Tambacounda.

Agriculture

Tambacounda is also a center for agricultural processing, with millet, sorghum, maize and cotton grown in the dry plains of the region. Sodefitex operates a large cotton processing plant in the town.[24]

Administration

Tambacounda is the capital of both Tambacounda Department and the Tambacounda Region.[25]

Sites of interest

Niokolo-Koba National Park

The Niokolo-Koba National Park lies just to the south of the town, and is famed for its wildlife.[26]

In 2003, the iron-framed rail station, the Hôtel de la Gare, and the colonial Préfecture building were placed on Senegal's list of Monuments historiques.[27]

Sister cities

  • 25px Bondy in France.
  • 25px La Roche sur Yon in France (local development project)
  • 25px Sint-Niklaas in Belgium since 2003

See also

  • Transport in Senegal

References

  • Translation of :fr:Tambacounda (January 2008).
  1. ↑ "Senegal". https://www.geonames.de/cousn.html. 
  2. ↑ "Small-Scale Urban Improvements in Tambacounda". American Friends of Le Korsa. https://www.aflk.org/our-work/small-scale-urban-improvements. 
  3. ↑ "Tambacounda". https://www.britannica.com/place/Tambacounda. 
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named pop
  5. ↑ Sene, Ousseynou; Sagne, Samba Niang; Ngom, Déthié; Diagne, Moussa Moise; Badji, Aminata; Khoulé, Aliou; Ndiaye, El Hadji; Sankhe, Safietou et al. (2024). "Emergence of Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Eastern Senegal in 2022". Viruses (MDPI) 16 (2): 315. doi:10.3390/v16020315. PMID 38400090. 
  6. ↑ "Tambacounda en Sénégal oriental" (in fr). https://www.bine-bassile.com/villa-bine-bassile/. 
  7. ↑ "Tambacounda (Tambacounda, Senegal) map". https://nona.net/features/map/placedetail.2429281/Tambacounda/. 
  8. ↑ Sene, Ousseynou; Sagne, Samba Niang (2024). "Emergence of Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Eastern Senegal in 2022". Viruses 16 (2): 315. doi:10.3390/v16020315. PMID 38400090. 
  9. ↑ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Tamba". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Senegal/CSV/Tamba_61687.csv. 
  10. ↑ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1961-1990: Tambacounda". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-I/SG/61687.TXT. 
  11. ↑ Galloway, Winifred (1975). A History of Wuli from the Thirteenth to the Nineteenth Century (History PhD). University of Indiana. p. 112.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Gomez, Michael (2002). Pragmatism in the Age of Jihad: The Precolonial State of Bundu (2nd ed.). UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521528474. 
  13. ↑ Traore 2021, pp. 307.
  14. ↑ Traore 2021, pp. 311.
  15. ↑ Traore 2021, pp. 309.
  16. ↑ "Tambacounda : Relance du chemin de fer/ Un train a enfin sifflé à la gare ferroviaire". Echo Oriental. https://echoriental.com/tambacounda-relance-du-chemin-de-fer-un-train-a-enfin-siffle-a-la-gare-ferroviaire/. 
  17. ↑ (in fr) Annuaire sur l'environnement et les ressources naturelles du Sénégal (Report). Ministère de l'Environnement et du Développement durable; Centre de suivi écologique. 2013. p. 211. https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/9239. 
  18. ↑ "Tambacounda" (in fr). Sénégal Online. https://www.senegal-online.com/tourisme_au_senegal/villes-et-villages-du-senegal/tambacounda/. 
  19. ↑ "Tambacounda travel guide". https://travel.nears.me/countries/senegal/tambacounda-travel-guide/. 
  20. ↑ "Abdouli Diakite". http://www.rootsyrecords.com/abdoulaye.htm. 
  21. ↑ David M. Cheney. "Senegal, Statistics by Diocese" (in en). https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/scsn4.html. 
  22. ↑ (in fr) Travaux de réhabilitation de la route Sénoba–Ziguinchor (137 km), le carrefour RN4 Médina Wandifa (Diaroumé)–Sédhiou (53 km), la réalisation d'une rocade de désenclavement à Ziguinchor et la réhabilitation d'environ 70 km de pistes connexes (Report). Ministère de l'Environnement et du Développement durable; Ministère des Infrastructures, des Transports terrestres et du Désenclavement; Agence des Travaux et de Gestion des Routes (AGEROUTE Sénégal). 2018. p. 67. https://fr.scribd.com/document/523307264/Travaux-de-Rehabilitation-de-La-Route-Senoba-ziguinchor. 
  23. ↑ "GOTT - Tambacounda" (in en). Informa Markets. https://acukwik.com/Airport-Info/GOTT. 
  24. ↑ Apanews (21 May 2014). "Un officiel sénégalais qualifie le coton de moteur de développement et de création de richesses" (in fr). Seneweb. https://www.seneweb.com/fr/news/agriculture/un-officiel-senegalais-qualifie-le-coton-de-moteur-de-developpement-et-de-creation-de-richesses_n_126400.html. 
  25. ↑ "Décret n° 2009-621 du 30 juin 2009 fixant le ressort territorial et le chef-lieu des régions, départements et arrondissements" (in fr). République du Sénégal. 19 September 2009. http://www.jo.gouv.sn/spip.php?article7693. 
  26. ↑ "Les activités à faire à Tambacounda et alentours" (in fr). https://au-senegal.com/les-activites-a-faire-a-tambacounda-et-alentours,17331.html. 
  27. ↑ Arrêté du 27 mars 2003

Bibliography

  • Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist. Sekna Cissé, Évolution de la population de Tambacounda 1915-1976. Essai d’interprétation, Université de Dakar, 1981, 85 p. (Mémoire de Maîtrise de géographie)
  • Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist. Mamadou Issa Diallo, Étude du vent d’une station synoptique, Tambacounda (1946-1975), Université de Dakar : 1983, 141 p. (Mémoire de Maîtrise de géographie)
  • Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist. Astou Diène, L’évolution économique du cercle de Tambacounda de 1919 à 1946, Université de Dakar : 1986, 99 p. (Mémoire de Maîtrise)
  • Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist. Pascal Handschuhmacher, « Tambacounda, une ville historique sans histoire ? » in Jean-Luc Piermay et Cheikh Sarr (dir.), La ville sénégalaise. Une invention aux frontières du monde, Paris, Karthala, 2007, p. 200-203 ISBN 978-2-84586-884-7
  • Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist. Abou Ndour, Monographie de la ville de Tambacounda des origines à l’indépendance (1960), Dakar, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, 1993, 63 p. (Mémoire de Maîtrise)
  • Traore, Mamadou (2021). "Les royaumes du Niani et du Wuli, des origines a la conquete coloniale". in Fall, Mamadou; Fall, Rokhaya; Mane, Mamadou (in French). Bipolarisation du Senegal du XVIe - XVIIe siecle. Dakar: HGS Editions. pp. 284–316. 



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