Deux Mamelles
Encyclopedia
Deux Mamelles, Collines des Mamelles, or simply Mamelles are twin hills located in Ouakam
, a suburbian commune
of Dakar
, in the Cap-Vert
peninsula, Senegal
.
These hills are of volcanic origin and they are the vestiges of a plateau
from the early Quaternary
. The highest hill is only 105 m high, but they stand out in the landscape owing to the flat surroundings. The name of these breast shaped hill
s comes from the French term “Mamelle”, a name commonly applied in the French-speaking parts of the world to a breast
.
On the seaward hill stands a lighthouse
, the Phare des Mamelles, while on the hill further ashore the African Renaissance Monument
was erected and unveiled in 2010.
Ouakam
Ouakam is a commune d'arrondissement of the city of Dakar, Senegal. The town is the birthplace of French politicians Ségolène Royal and Rama Yade and Senegalese writer and politician Birago Diop.-History:...
, a suburbian commune
Commune
Commune may refer to:In society:* Commune, a human community in which resources are shared* Commune , a township or municipality* One of the Communes of France* An Italian Comune...
of Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, in the Cap-Vert
Cap-Vert
Cap-Vert is a peninsula in Senegal, and the westernmost point of the continent of Africa and of the Old World mainland. Originally called Cabo Verde or "Cape Green" by Portuguese explorers, it is not to be confused with the Cape Verde islands, which are some further west...
peninsula, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
.
These hills are of volcanic origin and they are the vestiges of a plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
from the early Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
. The highest hill is only 105 m high, but they stand out in the landscape owing to the flat surroundings. The name of these breast shaped hill
Breast shaped hill
A breast-shaped hill is a mountain in the shape of a human breast. Such anthropomorphic geographic features are to be found in different places of the world and in some cultures they were revered as the attributes of the Mother Goddess, like the Paps of Anu, named after Anu, an important goddess of...
s comes from the French term “Mamelle”, a name commonly applied in the French-speaking parts of the world to a breast
Breast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
.
On the seaward hill stands a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
, the Phare des Mamelles, while on the hill further ashore the African Renaissance Monument
African Renaissance Monument
The African Renaissance Monument is a 49m tall bronze statue located on top one of the twin hills known as Collines des Mamelles, outside of Dakar, Senegal. Built overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the Ouakam suburb, the statue was designed by the Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby after an idea...
was erected and unveiled in 2010.