Fatick
Town and commune in Fatick Region, Senegal
Fatick (French pronunciation: [fatik]; Wolof: Fatik; Serer: Fatik) is a town and urban commune in Senegal, located between M'bour and Kaolack and inhabited by the Serer people. Its 2023 population was at 39,361. It is the capital of the Fatick Region and the Fatick Department.
01Toponymy
Its name (Fatick), including its region and department take their names from one of the Serer maternal clans (Fatik), which derives from the Serer term Fati Ubadik ("we have more to go"). The name is also spelled Patik following its pronunciation which is the same as the Fatik matriclan. The 15th century King of Sine Wasilla Faye named it after his father's matriclan. His father was a member of the Patik matriclan.
02History
The city has several ancient sites classified as historical monuments and added to the World heritage list. There is also the site of Mind Ngo Mindiss, located in the Sine River, where libations and offerings are made, the site of Ndiobaye, where traditional ceremonies takes place, and Ndeb Jab, which houses a sacred tree at Ndiaye-Ndiaye. These sites are sacred places in Serer religion. The Xooy ceremony (or Khoy), performed by the Serer high priests and priestesses (the Saltigues), takes place at Fatick once a year.
03Geography
Fatick is located "in the savanna belt of the West African Sahel, a sandy arid region south of the Sahara desert." The nearest towns are Nerane, Pourham, Mbirk Pourham and Tok. Dakar, the capital of Senegal, is located 155 km away.
04Climate
Under Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, it has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh).
| Climate data for Fatick (1991-2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 34.2 (93.6) |
36.3 (97.3) |
38.4 (101.1) |
39.3 (102.7) |
38.8 (101.8) |
36.7 (98.1) |
34.5 (94.1) |
33.1 (91.6) |
33.1 (91.6) |
35.5 (95.9) |
36.7 (98.1) |
34.8 (94.6) |
36.0 (96.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) |
18.3 (64.9) |
19.6 (67.3) |
20.5 (68.9) |
21.9 (71.4) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24.7 (76.5) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.1 (75.4) |
20.3 (68.5) |
17.7 (63.9) |
21.4 (70.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 9.4 (48.9) |
11.9 (53.4) |
14.0 (57.2) |
15.2 (59.4) |
16.5 (61.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
20.4 (68.7) |
20.0 (68.0) |
20.4 (68.7) |
18.0 (64.4) |
14.0 (57.2) |
9.4 (48.9) |
9.4 (48.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 2.0 (0.08) |
1.1 (0.04) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.4 (0.02) |
24.6 (0.97) |
116.0 (4.57) |
239.8 (9.44) |
177.7 (7.00) |
41.4 (1.63) |
0.4 (0.02) |
1.1 (0.04) |
604.6 (23.80) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 7.1 | 12.6 | 11.2 | 3.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 36.8 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
05Population
In the censuses of 1988 and 2002, the estimate population figures were 18,416 and 23,149 respectively. In 2007, according to official estimates, the population was 24,855.
06Economy
Since the peanut trade is losing momentum, salt marshes are the main local resource.
07Twinning
Relationships exist with Montoir-de-Bretagne (Loire-Atlantique, France), through the René Guy Cadou middle school's “Club Sénégal” association, as well as with the association “Les Pirogues du Cœur,” which supports the elementary school in Sagne by reestablishing the school cafeteria two days a week and sending school supplies.
Mame Mélanie Loquais, born in Saint-Hilaire de Chaléons (Loire-Atlantique, France) in 1895, was a sister of the Catholic mission in Fatick who, from 1946 onwards, contributed to the creation of a school that still bears her name: the Mame Mélanie FATICK school. She died and has been buried in Fatick since 1996.
08Notable people from Fatick
- Macky Sall, former Prime Minister and former President of Senegal
- Chérif Ousmane Sarr, footballer
- Alioune Badara M'Bengue, politician
- Babacar Touré, businessman and journalist
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Fatick”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
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