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Thies region

Thiès Region
Région de Thiès
Region
Location of Thiès in Senegal
Location of Thiès in Senegal
Thiès région, divided into 3 départements
Thiès région, divided into 3 départements
Coordinates: 14°46′N 16°54′W / 14.767°N 16.900°W / 14.767; -16.900Coordinates: 14°46′N 16°54′W / 14.767°N 16.900°W / 14.767; -16.900
Country Senegal
Capital Thiès
Départements
Government
 • Governor Amadou Sy
Area
 • Total 6,670 km2 (2,580 sq mi)
Population (2013 census)
 • Total 1,709,112
 • Density 260/km2 (660/sq mi)
Time zone GMT (UTC+0)

Thiès is a region of western Senegal. The capital is also called Thiès.

It has two coastlines, one in the north with the Grande Côte housing the Niayes vegetable market, one to the south with the Petite Côte, one of the tourist areas of Senegal.

Principally the main passageway between the peninsula and the rest of the country, the region of Thies has received a communication route connected to the first rail line and new road infrastructure.

Relatively small, yet it is the most populous region after the Dakar, with a population of 1,709,112 inhabitants at the end 2007.

The coastal communities dependent on fishing, growing crops and coastal tourism for subsistence. The interior of the region was the peanut basin. Phosphates are also mined there.

The Thiès Region has always been occupied by the Serer people since the ancient Serers and their ancestors. However, in the pre-colonial period, more so around the 16th century, the Wolof immigrants among others have settled in. Like the Fatick Region, the entire Thiès Region is strongly Serer and one of the most important of Serer country. It is also where many of the Serer sacred and historical sites are found. The area is well represented by the Cangin, a sub-group of the Serers, who had a fierce reputation for protecting their country from outsiders in precolonial times as well as during the colonial-era (see Timeline of Serer history and Serer medieval history).


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