Naaj

Republic of Naaj Réewum Naaj
Flag Emblem
Motto: Bene askane bene yité bene geum geum (Wolof)
Anthem:
Location of Naaj in West Africa
Capital	New Dakar
Official languages	Wolof and French
Ethnic groups	27.25% Wolof 25.80% Fula 19.65% Mandinka 9.55% Serer 7.35% Jola 5.30% Soninke 1.9% Manjago 1.3% Bambara 0.5% Aku 1.4% Other
Religion	Islam 73% Animism 18.21% Christianity 4.14% Others 2.38% Not believers 2.23%
Government	Federal semi-presidential republic
Area
• Total	207,401 km2 (80,078 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	20336439

Naaj officially the Republic of Naaj (French: République du Naaj; Wolof: Réewum Naaj); is a country in West Africa, bordered by España y las Indias to the north, Mali to the east, Guinea-Conakry to the southeast and Guinea-Bissau to the southwest. Naaj's economic and political capital is New Dakar.

History

Prehistory and Ancient Kingdoms

The earliest known human settlement in Naaj existed over 350,000 years ago. The Stone Circles of Senegambia (now World Heritage Sites) are believed to date back to 3 BC. Not a lot is known about the earliest civilizations, but there were many paleolithic and neolithic civilizations around the Senegal River.

The Tekrur Kingdom (Tekrour), formed around the Senegal River in Futa Toro (Fouta Toro), is one of the earliest recorded kingdoms. Although the exact formation date is unknown, historians believe it began in the early 9th century, around the same time as the Ghana Empire formed in the east. Parts of eastern Naaj were ruled by the Ghana Empire as it expanded but Tekrur was more concentrated in Naaj (although the southern regions were inhabited by ancestors of the Wolof). It was during Tekrur rule that Islam came to Naaj in the 11th century from the Almoravids in the North. The Tekrur rulers first converted to Islam and most of the kindgom followed soon after. After the Almoravids attacked the Ghanaian Empire, it slowly lost power and influence, giving rise to the Mali Empire in 1235.

The Wolof Empire (Djolof) was formed in the 13th century from many smaller states to the south of Tekrur as a tributary state of the Mali Empire. Unlike their northern neighbors, they were not converted to Islam; they were animists. The Tekrur Kingdom was weak by this time, so the rising Wolof and Mali Empires excised heavy influence over them (The Mali Empire also considered Tekrur to be a tributary state). The Wolof Empire obtained full independence from Mali in 1360 with its capital at Linguère and overtook territories to the south around the Gambia and established many groups as vassals, such as the Sine Kingdom in 1400. The Wolof Empire became quite powerful and at the height of its rule saw the arrival of the Portuguese.

Portuguese Arrival and Fall of Wolof Empire

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Naaj at Goree Island in 1444. They were searching for a new spice route to India but soon established ports in Goree and on the Cap-Vert Peninsula (present-day New Dakar). The Wolof and Portuguese established trade relations, providing wealth to the empire. Europeans paid good money for war captives (which they sent off as slaves), and the natives were able to bring the slaves to them so that they didn't have to go inland. Naaj was considered one of the most profitable ports early on in the slave trading business and the strong Wolof were able to sell many captives from weaker regions. Their tributary, the Sine Kingdom, was also quite actively involved in selling captives to the Portuguese. Members of the Waalo Kingdom (a Wolof vassal state) were commonly the victims of captive raids. Sometimes the Europeans incited wars in order to ensure more captives while in other cases, the money they payed was enough incentive for natives to start conflicts just to produce slaves.

While profits were great in the beginning, the Atlantic slave trade soon crippled the empire as the Cayor Kingdom separated from the Wolof in 1549 and the Sine Kingdom became independent in 1550, cutting the Wolof off from the coast and from trade and business with the Portuguese. Along with internal problems, the Wolof were also plagued by outside problems. As a former tributary state of the Mali Empire, the Wolof maintained strong ties with Mali through trade with the empire, but as the Songhai grew stronger, they seized much of Mali's territory, further isolating the Wolof. Furthermore, the Denianke Kingdom (Denanke) had taken over territories to the north, including Takrur, and had attacked the Wolof's northern territories, which they struggled to maintain. By 1600, the Wolof Empire had completely disbanded, although one of the territories remained a Wolof state.

French Conquest

The location and success of trade in Naaj made it a hot commodity among Europeans. The Portuguese, British, French, and Dutch all wanted the territory, particularly Goree Island. In 1588 the Dutch were able to successfully overtake the Portuguese and expanded trade. France established its first post in Saint-Louis. The Dutch and French were both keen to take control of the other's territory and fears of the growing powers of the Dutch Republic came to a head in the Franco-Dutch War. The war actually took place in Europe, but while the Dutch defended their homeland, the French attacked Goree Island and ousted the Dutch from Naaj, claiming it for France in 1677.

Territories on the mainland were taken from and returned to France by the British. When the British took the territory during the Napoleonic War, they abolished slavery in 1807 and upon its return to France, the French agreed to uphold it, so slave trade in Naaj fell sharply during the 19th century but its rich resources were still in demand and the French soon went inland to claim the territory.

During the time Europe was fighting over the coastal settlements, the Naajian still had control of the land. The Waalo Kingdom existed around the Saint-Louis trading post, so they had a treaty with the French in which the French would pay them for goods and they would provide protection for the traders. When French ambitions turned to colonisation, they started by conquering their Waalo allies in 1855. Around the same time, the Toucouleur Empire had conquered the Futa Toro, which formed out of an Islamic Revolution among citizens in the Denianke Kingdom in 1776 who were tired of being persecuted. The Toucouleur unsuccessfully tried to drive out the French in 1857, and the Trarza from Mauritania who supported the Naajian kingdoms were also threatening French advancement.

The French built a series of forts along the coast and river, and the Trarza were told they would not be attacked as long as they stayed north of the Senegal River and they did, which allowed France to establish greater control over northern Naaj. The construction of the Dakar-Niger Railway made it much easier to maintain control of the region and Naaj was in French control by 1895 and officially became part of French West Africa in 1904.

French Naaj to Independence

The French created the Grand Council of French West Africa to oversee the territories and only French citizens and citizens of the Four Communes in Naaj were able to become members. The colonized people were only considered to be French subjects, so they were prevented from gaining power however, in 1914 Blaise Diagne was able to prove he was born in one of the communes (Saint-Louis, today Ndar) and became the first black man elected to oversee the colonies. He then passed a law to allow citizens of New Dakar, Saint-Louis (Ndar), Rufisque, and Goree to vote in French elections and he sent many West Africans to aid France in WWI.

Naaj and French Sudan (modern Mali) joined to form the Mali Federation in 1959. The following year, France agreed to give them independence and on June 20, 1960, it officially gained independence from France. Naaj soon defected from the Mali Federation and became an independent state in August 1960. Naaj briefly joined the Gambia to form the confederation of Naajegambia in 1982 but they separated in 1989. Issues with separatists in the southern Casamance region of Naaj have occurred since the 1980s, but a treaty was signed in 2004 that has been upheld to this day.

Naaj is often praised for its incorporation of all its ethnic and religious groups into a peaceful society.

Modern times

A constitution was written on 24 April 1980, before being suspended in July 1994 and subsequently rewritten and approved by national referendum on 8 August 1996. It was re-established in January 1997.

A constitutional crisis in Naaj started after the presidential elections on 1 December 2006, and ended with the outgoing president Yahya Ba being forced to step down in favour of his elected successor Alassane Diop on 21 January 2017, after resistance.

Although long-serving incumbent President Yahya Ba initially accepted the surprising victory of Alassane Diop, he rejected the election results eight days later. Ba called for the election to be annulled and appealed to the Supreme Court. Troops were subsequently deployed in the capital and in Serekunda. A bloody coup d'état was on its way.

Government and politics

Administrative divisions

Naaj is divided primarily in two constitutive nations: Senegal and The Gambia. Each one make a total of 19 departments and 45 counties plus the Capital District. The departments have some constitutional rights and duties, always respecting the Federal government decisions. The capital and largest city of the country is New Dakar.

Executive

As a semi-presidential republic, Naaj is governed by a dual system, with the President being the government and the Prime Minister being the head of state, elected by a four year term in indirect elections. The Prime Minister needs the confidence of at least half plus one of the total members of the Chamber of Delegates. The President itself elects the Prime Minister and they both take the important decisions for both national and abroad policies.

Legislative

The legislative branch is represented by a bicameral legislature known as the Assembly. It's formed by the Chamber of Delegates and the Senate. Their main duties is to pass the bills and to ask the Executive about their daily duties and in case of detecting irregularities or corruption. The Assembly is currently composed by 223 Delegates and 111 Senators.

Geography

Naaj is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, España y las Indias to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south. It has a long internal border which lies on either side of the Gambia River but is otherwise surrounded by Senegal. The four major rivers, the Senegal River, the Saloum River, the Gambia River and the Casamance River, drain westwards into the Atlantic Ocean. The Lac de Guiers is a large freshwater lake in the north of the country while Lake Retba, near Dakar, is saline.

The northern half of the country has an arid or semi-arid climate and is largely desert while south of the Gambia River the rainfall is higher and the terrain consists of savannah grassland and forest. Much of the country is fairly flat and below the 500 m (1,640 ft) contour, but there are some low, rolling hills in the southeast, the foothills of the Fouta Djallon in Guinea. The northern half of the coast is sandy and flat, whereas south of New Dakar it is muddy and swampy.

The northern part of the country has a semi-arid climate, with precipitation increasing substantially further south to exceed 1,500 mm (60 in) in some areas. Winds blow from the southwest during the rainy season from May to November, and from the northeast during the rest of the year, resulting in well-defined humid and dry seasons. New Dakar's maximum temperatures averages 35 °C (95 °F) in the wet and 26 °C (86 °F) in the dry season.

Climate

The climate in Naaj is mostly tropical with pleasant heat throughout the year with well-defined dry and humid seasons that result from northeast winter winds and southeast summer winds. The dry season comprises from November to April and it's dominated by hot winds. The northernmost part of the country has a near hot desert climate, the central part has a hot semi-arid climate and the southernmost part has a tropical wet and dry climate. Naaj is mainly a sunny and dry country. Temperature highs fluctuates between 35.4 °C (95.7 °F) in April to 31.7 °C (89.1 °F) in December and January, when it can also be a bit chilly early at nights. From May to October, most of the country receive the rains, being August the rainiest month of the year. On average, it rains between 800 millimetres (31 in) in the capital and it can exceed 1,500 millimetres (59 in) annually in some areas.

Climate data for Mobutu Airport, New Dakar

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	31.7 (89.1)	33.7 (92.7)	34.9 (94.8)	35.4 (95.7)	34.9 (94.8)	33.5 (92.3)	31.8 (89.2)	31.0 (87.8)	31.8 (89.2)	33.2 (91.8)	33.5 (92.3)	31.7 (89.1)	33.1 (91.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	24.0 (75.2)	25.6 (78.1)	27.2 (81.0)	28.1 (82.6)	28.8 (83.8)	28.6 (83.5)	27.7 (81.9)	27.3 (81.1)	27.6 (81.7)	28.1 (82.6)	26.7 (80.1)	24.4 (75.9)	27.0 (80.6)
Average low °C (°F)	16.3 (61.3)	17.5 (63.5)	19.5 (67.1)	20.8 (69.4)	22.8 (73.0)	23.8 (74.8)	23.6 (74.5)	23.6 (74.5)	23.5 (74.3)	23.1 (73.6)	19.9 (67.8)	17.1 (62.8)	21.0 (69.7)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	0.7 (0.03)	1.0 (0.04)	0.0 (0.0)	1.1 (0.04)	12.3 (0.48)	75.0 (2.95)	172.8 (6.80)	265.3 (10.44)	204.3 (8.04)	68.8 (2.71)	4.1 (0.16)	0.7 (0.03)	806.1 (31.72)
Average rainy days	1	1	1	0.2	0.4	4.0	8.0	17.0	14.0	5.0	1	1	53.6
Average relative humidity (%)	53.0	56.8	61.1	68.0	72.5	76.3	79.1	82.0	81.8	76.6	65.0	56.0	69.0
Average ultraviolet index	7	6	6	7	7	8	8	8	8	7	7	7	7

Biodiversity

With four main ecosystems (forest, savanna grassland, freshwater, marine and coastal), Naaj has a wide diversity of plants and animals. However, increases in human activities and changes in weather patterns which include increased deficits in rainfall, are impacting and degrading the natural habitats. This is particularly noticeable with regard to forests, which in the five years to 2010, were being lost at the rate of 40,000 ha (100,000 acres) per year.

Law of the land

Some parts of the land area of Naaj, under the protection laws of the Banjul Declaration of 1977, which is the law on wild life, includes seven protected zones of the country. The law prohibits all types of hunting, except on animals harmful to the environment, such as warthog, giant pouched rat and francolin. Also, as a signatory to the International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), Naaj enforces law prohibiting export or even possession within the country of any animal skins, horns or turtle shells.

Buphagus africanus