Tambacounda, Senegal

🇸🇳 Tambacounda (تامباكوندا; Tambaakundaa) is the largest city in eastern Senegal, 400 km (250 mi) south-east of Dakar, and is the regional capital of the province of the same name.

Geography Tambacounda is situated on the sparsely populated sahélien plains of eastern Senegal.

Nearby towns include Madina Maboule, Koukari, Yoro Sankoule, Sambadian, Djidje Kounda, Afia Seno, Saare Boylii and Kanderi Niana.

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. The town, a centre of the peanut trade with the English, was attacked by Bundu in 1863.

The Kingdom of Wuli became a French protectorate in 1888. The Dakar–Bamako railway reached Tambacounda in 1913. In 1919, it became the adminsitrative capital of a new eponymous cercle. 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.

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.

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.

The Tambacounda region is famous for its rich djembe and dance culture and heritage with some of the greatest djembe masters from Segu, Mali coming to Tambacounda in the mid 1900s, and brought with them their history, knowledge, and secrets of the djembe. Among the famous musicians from Tambacounda was drummer Abdoulaye Diakité.

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.

Transport 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.

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

Agriculture Tambacounda is also a centre for agricultural processing, with millet, sorgum, maize and cotton grown in the dry plains of the region. Sodefitex operates a large cotton processing plant in the town.

Administration Tambacounda is the capital of Tambacounda Department (which includes three administrative regions) and the large Tambacounda Region.

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

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.