Editing Dakar (section)

== Administration ==
{{More citations needed|section|date=November 2021}}
{{multiple image
| width1    = 200
| width2    =180
| direction = vertical
| footer    = 
| image1    = DakarGueuleTapée1.jpg
| alt1      = gueule
| caption1  = Market street in the working class [[Gueule Tapée-Fass-Colobane|Gueule Tapée]] quarter
| image2    = DakarMermoz.JPG
| alt2      =  mermoz
| caption2  = Residential street in the upscale [[Mermoz-Sacré-Cœur|Mermoz]] quarter
}}

The city of Dakar is a [[commune (subnational entity)|commune]] (also sometimes known as ''commune de ville''), one of the 125&nbsp;communes of Senegal. The commune of Dakar was created by the French colonial administration on 17 June 1887, by detaching it from the commune of [[Gorée]]. The commune of Gorée, created in 1872, was itself one of the oldest Western-style municipalities in Africa (along with the municipalities of [[Algeria]] and [[South Africa]]).

The commune of Dakar has been in continuous existence since 1887, being preserved by the new state of Senegal after independence in 1960, although its limits have varied considerably over time. The limits of the commune of Dakar have been unchanged since 1983. The commune of Dakar is ruled by a democratically elected municipal council (''conseil municipal'') serving five years, and a mayor elected by the municipal council. There have been 20&nbsp;mayors in Dakar since 1887. The first black mayor was [[Blaise Diagne]], mayor of Dakar from 1924 to 1934. The longest-serving mayor was [[Mamadou Diop (politician)|Mamadou Diop]], mayor for 18&nbsp;years between 1984 and 2002.

The commune of Dakar is also a ''[[department (country subdivision)|department]]'', one of the 45&nbsp;[[departments of Senegal]]. This situation is quite similar to [[Paris]], which is both a commune and a department. However, contrary to French departments, departments in Senegal have no political power (no departmental assembly), and are merely local administrative structures of the central state, in charge of carrying out some administrative services as well as controlling the activities of the communes within the department.

The department of Dakar is divided into four [[Arrondissements of Senegal|arrondissements]]: [[Almadies Arrondissement|Almadies]], [[Grand Dakar Arrondissement|Grand Dakar]], [[Parcelles Assainies Arrondissement|Parcelles Assainies]] (which literally means "drained lots"; this is the most populous arrondissement of Dakar), and [[Plateau/Gorée Arrondissement|Plateau/Gorée]] (downtown Dakar).<ref>{{Cite report |url=http://www.ansd.org/SES2005.pdf |title=Situation économique et sociale du Sénégal Edition 2005 |last=Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie |first=Government of Senegal |date=2005 |page=163 |language=French |access-date=2007-03-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070615173338/http://www.ansd.org/SES2005.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=2007-06-15}}</ref> These arrondissements are quite different from the [[arrondissements of Paris]], being merely local administrative structures of the central state, like the Senegalese ''departments'', and are thus more comparable to French [[arrondissement in France|departmental arrondissements]].

[[File:Dakar - Assemblée nationale.JPG|thumb|left|The Assemblée nationale on the Plateau, the heart of old Dakar]]
In 1996, a massive reform of the administrative and political divisions of Senegal was voted by the Parliament of Senegal. The commune of Dakar, whose population approached 1 million inhabitants, was deemed too large and too populated to be properly managed by a central municipality, and thus on August 30, 1996, Dakar was divided into 19&nbsp;''communes d'arrondissement''. These ''communes d'arrondissement'' were given extensive powers and are very much like regular communes. They have more powers than the arrondissements of Paris and are more akin to the [[London borough]]s. The commune of Dakar was maintained above these 19&nbsp;''communes d'arrondissement'', and it coordinates the activities of the ''communes d'arrondissement'', much as [[Greater London]] coordinates the activities of the London boroughs. The 19&nbsp;''communes d'arrondissement'' belong to either of the four arrondissements of Dakar, and the {{lang|fr|[[prefect|sous-préfet]]}} of each arrondissement is in charge of controlling the activities of the ''communes d'arrondissement'' in his arrondissement.

[[File:DKR Railway station.JPG|thumb|Dakar Central Station]]
The ''commune d'arrondissement'' of [[Dakar-Plateau]] (34,626 inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée, is the historical heart of the city, and most ministries and public administrations are located there. The densest and most populous ''commune d'arrondissement'' is Médina (136,697&nbsp;inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée. The ''commune d'arrondissement'' of [[Yoff]] (55,995&nbsp;inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Almadies, is the largest one, while the smallest one is the ''commune d'arrondissement'' of [[Gorée|Île de Gorée]] (1,034&nbsp;inhabitants), in the arrondissement of Plateau/Gorée.

Dakar is one of the 14&nbsp;[[regions of Senegal|''régions of Senegal'']]. The Dakar ''région'' encompasses the city of Dakar and all its suburbs along the [[Cap Vert|Cape Verde Peninsula]]. Its territory is thus roughly the same as the territory of the metropolitan area of Dakar. Since the administrative reforms of 1996, the ''régions'' of Senegal, which until then were merely local administrative structures of the central state, have been turned into full-fledged political units, with democratically elected regional councils, and regional presidents. They were given extensive powers, and manage economic development, transportation, or environmental protection issues at the regional level, thus coordinating the actions of the communes below them.