Lac de Guiers
Encyclopedia
The Lac de Guiers or Lake Guiers is a lake in northern Senegal
, south of the city of Richard-Toll and in the Louga
and Saint-Louis
regions. It is a chief source of fresh water for the city of Dakar
, hundreds of kilometers to the south-west, through underground pipes.
It is about 35 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide, and is supplied by the Ferlo or Bounoum River, which flows north into its southern end, from Fouta in the rainy season. Water used to flow out to the Senegal River
north through the Portuguese River, but this has been replaced by a straight canal to Richard-Toll. A dam was built in 1916 to prevent saltwater flowing in from Taoué River and the Senegal River delta.
The shores are mostly fertile. The north shore and surrounding area have been converted to a large sugar-growing region irrigated with water from the lake.
Lac de Guiers is designated an Important Bird Area
by BirdLife International
; the key species are Lesser Flamingo
Phoeniconaias minor, Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellus, Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, African Spoonbill
Platalea alba, White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus and River Prinia
Prinia fluviatilis.
The lake has a complicated history involving the kingdoms of Tekrur and Waalo
and the Empire of Jolof (Diolof). Notably, the settlement of Nder, the third and final capital of the former Kingdom of Waalo
, was located on the west shores of the Lake. The royal compound or "keur" is still there. Previously Lac de Guiers was called Lac du Panier Foule or Pania Fuli, referring to the Fula people
..
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, south of the city of Richard-Toll and in the Louga
Louga Region
Louga is a city and region of Senegal. The region is located to the northwest part of the country and Louga city is in the northwest of the region - about 50 km inland from the Atlantic coast.-Departments:Louga region is divided into 3 departments:...
and Saint-Louis
Saint-Louis Region
The Saint-Louis Region of Senegal is on the border with Mauritania. Its capital is Saint-Louis.Famous for its cast iron bridge, built by French colonialists in the 19th century, it is close to the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary, home to thousands of birds, some indigenous to the...
regions. It is a chief source of fresh water for the city of Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, hundreds of kilometers to the south-west, through underground pipes.
It is about 35 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide, and is supplied by the Ferlo or Bounoum River, which flows north into its southern end, from Fouta in the rainy season. Water used to flow out to the Senegal River
Sénégal River
The Sénégal River is a long river in West Africa that forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania.The Sénégal's headwaters are the Semefé and Bafing rivers which both originate in Guinea; they form a small part of the Guinean-Malian border before coming together at Bafoulabé in Mali...
north through the Portuguese River, but this has been replaced by a straight canal to Richard-Toll. A dam was built in 1916 to prevent saltwater flowing in from Taoué River and the Senegal River delta.
The shores are mostly fertile. The north shore and surrounding area have been converted to a large sugar-growing region irrigated with water from the lake.
Lac de Guiers is designated an Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
; the key species are Lesser Flamingo
Lesser Flamingo
The Lesser Flamingo is a species in the flamingo family of birds that resides in Africa and in southern Asia...
Phoeniconaias minor, Glossy Ibis
Glossy Ibis
The Glossy Ibis is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas...
Plegadis falcinellus, Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, African Spoonbill
African Spoonbill
The African Spoonbill is a long-legged wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The species is widespread across Africa and Madagascar, including Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It lives in marshy wetlands with some open shallow water and...
Platalea alba, White-winged Tern
White-winged Tern
The White-winged Tern, or White-winged Black Tern, Chlidonias leucopterus, is a small tern generally found in or near bodies of fresh water across from Southeastern Europe east to Australia....
Chlidonias leucopterus and River Prinia
River Prinia
The River Prinia is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Senegal.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland and swamps.-References:...
Prinia fluviatilis.
The lake has a complicated history involving the kingdoms of Tekrur and Waalo
Waalo
The Kingdom of Waalo was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what are now Senegal and Mauritania. It included parts of the valley proper and areas north and south, extending to the Atlantic Ocean...
and the Empire of Jolof (Diolof). Notably, the settlement of Nder, the third and final capital of the former Kingdom of Waalo
Waalo
The Kingdom of Waalo was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what are now Senegal and Mauritania. It included parts of the valley proper and areas north and south, extending to the Atlantic Ocean...
, was located on the west shores of the Lake. The royal compound or "keur" is still there. Previously Lac de Guiers was called Lac du Panier Foule or Pania Fuli, referring to the Fula people
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
..