Saly (also called Sali or Saly Portudal) is a seaside resort and urban commune in Thiès Region on the Petite Côte of Senegal, south of Dakar. It is a major tourist destination in Senegal.
Saly Portudal
Sali | |
|---|---|
  Saly Portudal | |
| Coordinates: 14°26′18″N 17°0′45″W / 14.43833°N 17.01250°W | |
| Country | Senegal |
| Region | Thiès |
| Department | M'bour |
| Area | |
| • Commune | 14.29 km2 (5.52 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Population (2023 census)[1] | |
| • Commune | 41,811 |
| • Density | 2,900/km2 (7,600/sq mi) |
History
editSaly was originally a Portuguese trading post known as Porto de Ale, which became Portudal, and later Sali Portudal. It hosted Dutch merchants as well as the Portuguese by at least the late 16th century.[2]
On February 24, 1984, the resort was created on a previously unoccupied tract of land near the former trading post. It was about this time that tourism began to take off in Senegal.
Administration
edit
Flora
editThe resort is located on a sandy beach lined with coconut palm trees.
Population
editThe population is difficult to quantify because of the constant stream of tourists in and out of the area as well as the number of temporary residents. It has been suggested that an average of 20,000 people live in the area at any given time.[3] The resident population was counted at 41,811 in the 2023 census.[1]
Economy
editSaly's economy relies almost entirely on tourism. Hotel complexes, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, shops, water sports, real estate agencies all compete for the business of wealthy visitors from other countries.
Seminars and symposiums are often held in Saly.
Social problems
editThe rapid development of mass tourism in a relatively poor country has had some negative consequences, such as petty crime, prostitution, pedophilia, and the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
For a long time, these social problems were not discussed publicly so that the resort's reputation would not be tarnished. An observatory for the protection of children against abuse and sexual exploitation called Avenir de l'Enfant (The Child's Future) was created in M'bour by a Senegalese non-governmental organization in 2002.
In 2003, M6, a French television channel, broadcast a report focusing on Saly as part of the show Ça me révolte,[4] meaning "That Disgusts Me". The show had hitherto focussed mainly on sex tourism in Asia.
Education
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2015) |
The Lycée Français Jacques Prévert, a French international school, is in Saly.
References
edit- ^ a b Citypopulation.de Population and area of Saly Portudal Commune
- ^ Guy Thilmans, ʻSur lʼExistence, Fin XVIe siècle, de Comptoirs Néerlandais à Joal et Portudal (Sénégal)ʼ, Notes Africaines 117 (1968): 17.
- ^ Sénégal et Gambie (in French). Lonely Planet. 2006. p. 135.
- ^ Karim Fall (June 12, 2003). "Tourisme sexuel : des images qui font mal, vues de Paris". Soleil (in French).
Bibliography
edit- A. K. Diagne (2001). "Impacts of Coastal Tourism Development and Sustainability: A Geographical Case Study of Sali in the Senegalese Petite Cote". Geographical Review of Japan. 74 (1): 62–77.
- Guy Thilmans (1968). "Sur l'existence, fin XVIe siècle, de comptoirs néerlandais à Joal et Portudal". Notes Africaines (in French) (117). Sénégal: 17–18.
- Effets du projet Sali sur l'économie du Sénégal (in French). Dakar. 1973. p. 75.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - (in French) L'Observateur
External links
edit
- Maps, weather and airports for Sali Portugal
- (in French) Saly and sexual tourism
- (in French) Web Portal dedicated to Saly Portudal