Located in southwestern Senegal, the Shell Island (Ile aux coquillages) offers its visitors a journey through time.
Joal Fadiouth is a town situated on the western coast of Senegal, 120 kilometers south of Dakar, and due to its uniqueness and beauty, it is one of the most interesting tourist destinations in Africa.
The town consists of the mainland part, Joal, and the fishing island Fadiouth, which are connected by a 400-meter-long wooden bridge.
Close to 40.000 inhabitants of this town are mostly engaged in fishing and tourism, and although Christians make up the majority of the population, accounting for 90 percent, the town is known for its multiculturalism and multi-religious solidarity.
The coexistence of different cultures and religions in Joal Fadiouth is best exemplified by the only cemetery in Africa where Christians, Muslims, and members of other religions are buried side by side.
Fadiouth Island is unique in the world because it is almost entirely covered with shells, hence it is often called the “Shell Island.”
The delicious shells are a specialty of the local cuisine, and the hard shells are used by the local population as material for building pavements, walls, tombstones, and everything else.
This town is the birthplace of Senegal’s first president after gaining independence in 1960, Leopold Sedar Senghor, AA writes.
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