The Kaolack region is a region in 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...

. It borders Gambia and is a common stopping point for travel between 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...

 and Banjul

Banjul

-Transport:Ferries sail from Banjul to Barra. The city is served by the Banjul International Airport. Banjul is on the Trans–West African Coastal Highway connecting it to Dakar and Bissau, and will eventually provide a paved highway link to 11 other nations of ECOWAS.Banjul International Airport...

. Its borders correspond roughly to the Saalum

Saloum

The Kingdom of Saloum in Senegal is a traditional kingdom which was renamed Saloum in the late 15th century by the son of a Serer and a Guelowar from the kingdom of Kaabu to the south. The ancient and present capital of the Kingdom of Saloum is the city of Kahone. Previous to that, it was known...

 Kingdom of precolonial days, and the area is still spoken of as the Saalum in Wolof, and its inhabitants are called Saalum-Saalum.

Kaolack

Kaolack

Kaolack is a town of 172,305 people on the north bank of the Saloum River and the N1 road in Senegal. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders The Gambia to the south. Kaolack is an important regional market town and is Senegal's main peanut trading and processing center...

 city is the administrative centre for the region. It is a port on the Saloum River. Lying in a farm area, Kaolack is a major peanut

Peanut

The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...

 marketing and exporting center and has a large peanut oil factory. Brewing, leather tanning, cotton ginning, and fish processing are also important industries. Salt is produced from salines near the Saloum River. The city is on the railroad from Dakar to the Niger River

Niger River

The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...

 in Mali

Mali

Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

. Kaolack is the international centre of the Ibrahimiyyah branch of the Tijaniyyah

Tijaniyyah

The Tijāniyyah is a sufi tariqa originating in North Africa but now more widespread in West Africa, particularly in Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, and Northern Nigeria and Sudan...

 Sufi order, whose mosque is on the city's outskirts.

Departments

The Kaolack Region is subdivided into four departments:

• Guinguinéo
  Guinguinéo Department
  Guinguinéo Department is one of the departments of Senegal, located in the Kaolack Region. It is a recent creation....
  
  
• Kaolack
  Kaolack Department
  ' is one of the departments of Senegal, located in the Kaolack Region....
  
  
• Koungheul
  Koungheul Department
  Koungheul is the name of one of 35 Departments of Senegal, as well as Koungheul Arrondissement, and Koungheul, the principal town of the Department....
  
   (established 2006/2007)
• Nioro du Rip
  Nioro du Rip Department
  ' is one of the departments of Senegal, located in the Kaolack Region....