Saint-Louis, Senegal

Saint-Louis
City and commune
Island of Saint-Louis
Saint-Louis
Coordinates: 16°02′N 16°30′W / 16.033°N 16.500°W / 16.033; -16.500
Country	Senegal
Region	Saint-Louis Region
Department	Saint-Louis Department
Founded	1659
Government
• Mayor	Mansour Faye
Area [1]
• City and commune	63.54 km2 (24.53 sq mi)
Population  (2023 census)[1]
• City and commune	254,171
• Density	4,000/km2 (10,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
UNESCO World Heritage Site
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Island of Saint-Louis
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iv
Reference	956
Inscription	2000 (24th Session)

Saint Louis or Saint-Louis (Wolof: Ndar), is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 kilometres (200 mi) north of Senegal's capital city Dakar. It had a population of 254,171 in 2023.^[1] Saint-Louis was the capital of the French colony of Senegal from 1673 until 1902 and French West Africa from 1895 until 1902, when the capital was moved to Dakar. From 1920 to 1957, it also served as the capital of the neighboring colony of Mauritania.

The town was an important economic center during French West Africa, but it is less important now. However, it still has important industries, including tourism, a commercial center, a center of sugar production, and fishing. The tourism industry is in part due to the city being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.^[2] However, the city is also vulnerable to climate change—where sea level rise is expected to threaten the city center and potential damage historical parts of the city.^{[citation needed]} Moreover, other issues such as overfishing are causing ripple effects in the local economy.^{[citation needed]}