Nioro du Rip
Encyclopedia
Nioro du Rip is a city in the south-west of Sénégal
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...

, situated about 60 km (37 mi) to the south-west of Kaolack
Kaolack
Kaolack is a town of 172,305 people on the north bank of the Saloum River and the N1 road in Senegal. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders The Gambia to the south. Kaolack is an important regional market town and is Senegal's main peanut trading and processing center...

 and is 27 km (17 mi) from the border with The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....

.

History

The town of Nioro du Rip was the capital of Rip (a kingdom of the marabout
Marabout
A marabout is a Muslim religious leader and teacher in West Africa, and in the Maghreb. The marabout is often a scholar of the Qur'an, or religious teacher. Others may be wandering holy men who survive on alms, Sufi Murshids , or leaders of religious communities...

 leader Maba Diakhou Bâ
Maba Diakhou Bâ
Maba Diakhou Bâ was a marabout from Rip, and a disciple of the Tijaniyya sufi brotherhood...

). Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké (founder of The Mouride brotherhood
Mouride
The Mouride brotherhood is a large Islamic Sufi order most prominent in Senegal and The Gambia, with headquarters in the holy city of Touba, Senegal...

) at one point lived here. Nioro is near one group of the Senegambian stone circles
Senegambian stone circles
The Senegambian stone circles lie in Gambia north of Janjanbureh and in central Senegal. Coordinates: 13° 41 N – 15° 31 W.Approximate area: 15,000 square miles . They are sometimes divided into the Wassu and Sine-Saloum circles, but this is purely a national division.The stones were erected...

 which date from the eighth century.

Administration

The town is the capital of Nioro du Rip Department
Nioro du Rip Department
' is one of the departments of Senegal, located in the Kaolack Region....

, in région of Kaolack
Kaolack Region
The Kaolack region is a region in Senegal. It borders Gambia and is a common stopping point for travel between Dakar and Banjul. Its borders correspond roughly to the Saalum Kingdom of precolonial days, and the area is still spoken of as the Saalum in Wolof, and its inhabitants are called...

.

Geography

Nioro du Rip is on the route nationale N4 which links Kaolack to Ziguinchor
Ziguinchor
Ziguinchor is the capital of the Ziguinchor Region, and the chief town of the Casamance area of Senegal, lying at the mouth of the Casamance River. It has a population of over 230,000...

 via The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....

.
The nearest small towns are Keur Ali Gueye, Paoskoto, Diamaguene, Keur Bidji Ouri, Lougue, Bamba, Bakesaloum, Mbaye Faye Fafa et Mbap.

External links

Maps, weather and airports for Nioro du Rip
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