Richard Toll is a town and urban commune in northern

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, lying on the south bank of the

River Senegal The Senegal River ( or "Senegal" - compound of the Serer term "Seen" or "Sene" or "Sen" (from Roog Seen, Supreme Deity in Serer religion) and "O Gal" (meaning "body of water")); , , , ) is a river in West Africa; much of its length mark ...

, just east of

Rosso Rosso is the major city of south-western Mauritania and capital of Trarza Region, Trarza region. It is situated on the Senegal River at the head of the river zone allowing year-round navigation. The town is 204 km south of the capital Nouakc ...

. Originally a colonial town, it was named for the park of the Château de Baron Roger, laid out by botanist

Jean Michel Claude Richard Jean Michel Claude Richard (16 August 1787 – 1868) was a noted French botanist and plant collector active in Senegal, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Réunion, and a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur. Richard was born in Volon, Haute-Saône. He ...

. A rice-growing scheme was originally initiated by France's colonial development organisation, FIDES, in 1949 with an initial cultivated area of . The town's main industry is

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

. The population in 2023 was 73,147.

History

Until 1817, at roughly the location of Richard Toll there were two communities, Ndiangué and Xhouma, inhabited by the Mbodi — descendants of Brack and followers of the royalist Walo tradition. In 1817 the French government's most senior representative in the region, Schmaltz, created an outpost community on the River Senegal, naming it l’Escale. In 1822, the new governor, , sent a botanist and nurseryman named

to work in L'Escale and renamed it Richard's Toll, with Toll being the word for Farm in

Pulaar Pulaar (in Latin script, Latin: , in Ajami script, Ajami: ), often referred to as Pulaar du Nord, is dialect of the Fula language spoken primarily as a first language by the Fula people, Fula and Toucouleur peoples in the Senegal River valley ar ...

, a local language. At this time there were 28 residents, and 1,148 nomadic workers living in Toll. It grew greatly in 1945 with the creation of the ''Mission Agricole du Sénégal'', which also brought other institutions such as a hospital, and chapel, and a school. There was a rapid demographic growth in 1970 with the implementation of the , which brought in around 15,000 inhabitants and brought about two phenomena: the joining of the local villages, and the creation of new neighbourhoods. By 1980, Richard Toll had six neighbourhoods: Escale, Ndaingue, Ndiaw, Khoum Wadi, Khoum Peul, and Ndombo Al'Arabi. Since then the city has grown and evolved into what it is today, including the addition of neighbourhoods such as Campement, Thiaback, GAE2, and Taouey.

Population and demography

The latest estimate of the population available at the mayors office with was from 2005 which was at 46,547, however more recent estimates have put it around 90,000. The latest gender, and age breakdown the mayors office had was from 2006, which stated 77.79% of inhabitants were between the ages of 0 and 34, 20.71% were between the ages of 35 and 74, and 1.19% were over the age of 75. Women constituted 52.01% of the population, and men 47.99%.

Neighbourhoods

Richard Toll currently comprises 12 neighbourhoods: Ndiao, Ndiangue, Richard Toll Escale, Campement et Nourou, Thiabakh, Ndombo Al'Arabi, Khouma Gallo Malick, Gae II, Khouma Yakh Sabar, and Khouma Mbodiène/Khouma Thiarène.

Transportation

The town is served by Richard Toll Airport.

Economic activities

The main economic activities in Richard Toll are agriculture, fishing,

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, animal fiber, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising ...

, and commerce. Less popular economic activities are transportation, tourism, and artisanal goods. Richard Toll is most known for its sugar refinery, which is French-owned and exports sugar to most of Senegal.

Popular culture

Marie Laforêt Marie Laforêt (born Maïtena Marie Brigitte Douménach; 5 October 1939 – 2 November 2019) was a French singer and actress, particularly well known for her work during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1978, she moved to Geneva, and acquired Swiss citi ...

sang a song about Richard Toll.

References

External links

*{{Cite web , title = In a Corner of Senegal, a Victory Over Malaria , last = Yee , first = Amy , work =

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

, date = 1 May 2018 , accessdate = 2018-08-03 , url = https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/01/opinion/in-a-corner-of-senegal-a-victory-over-malaria.html , quote = Populated places in Saint-Louis region Communes of Senegal