Rufisque

Rufisque (Arabic: روفيسك; Wolof: Tëngeéj) is a city in the Dakar region of western Senegal, at the base of the Cap-Vert Peninsula. It has a population of 179,797 (2002 census).[citation needed] In the past it was an important port city in its own right, but is now a suburb of Dakar. Rufisque is also the capital of the department of the same name and lies 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Dakar, the capital of Senegal. Originally a Lebou fishing village called Tenguedj (Wolof: Tëngéej), Rufisque became important in the 16th century as the principal port of the kingdom of Cayor, being frequented by Portuguese (who named it Rio Fresco, in which the name of the city originated from, meaning in English:"Freshwater River"), Dutch, French and English traders. A Euro-African Creole, or Métis, community of merchants grew up there, in close contact with similar communities in Saint Louis, Gorée and other places along the Petite Côte (Portudal, Joal) south to the Gambia River.