Richard Toll
| Richard Toll | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
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 Richard Toll
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| Coordinates: 16°28′N 15°41′W / 16.467°N 15.683°W | |
| Country |
 Senegal
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| Region | Saint-Louis |
| Department | Dagana |
| Population | |
| • Total | ~90,000 |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) |
Richard Toll is a town in northern Senegal, lying on the south bank of the River Senegal, just east of Rosso. Originally a colonial town, it was named for the park of the Chateau de Baron Roger, laid out by botanist Jean Michel Claude Richard. A rice growing scheme was originally initiated by France's colonial development organisation, FIDES, in 1949 with an initial cultivated area of 6,000 hectares (14,830 acres). The town's main industry is sugar. Estimated population 2007: 70,000.
Marie Laforêt has a song about Richard Toll.
Before Colonization there were only two villages Ndiangué, and Xhouma, which were inhabited by the Mbodi people descendants of Brack, and followers of the royal Walo Tradition. In 1817 the governor under colonial rule Schmaltz created L’Escale community on the Senegal River. In 1822, the new governor the Baron Roger sent a botanist and pépiniériste named Michelle Claude Richard to work in L’Escale and named it Richard’s Toll, meaning Richards Farm in local language. At this time there were 28 residents, and 1148 nomadic workers living in Toll. The size of toll then grew greatly in 1945 with the creation of the Mission Agricole du Senegal, which also brought other institutions such as a hospital, and chapel, and a school. There was then a rapid demographic growth in 1970 with the implementation of the Compagnie Sucriére Sénégalaise, which brought in around 15,000 inhabitants and brought about two phenomenon: the joining of the local villages, and the creation of new quartiers. By 1980 Richard Toll had six quartiers: Escale, Ndaingué, Ndiaw, Khouma Wolof, Khouma Peul, and Ndombo Alarba. Since then the city has grown and evolved into what it is today with the addition of quartiers such as Campement, Thiaback, GAE2, and Taouey.
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%.
Richard Toll currently comprises 12 quartiers: Ndiao, Ndiangué, Richard Toll Escale, Campement et Nourou, Thiabakh, Ndombo Alarba, Khouma Gallo Malick, Gae II, Khouma Yakh Sabar, and Khouma Mbodiéne/Khouma Thiaréne.
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