Las puertas del Imperio. Análisis del sistema portuario de Senegal: jerarquía, centralidad y complementariedad en un contexto colonial, 1839-1910

Ports have been key elements that encouraged the development of regional and international trade. West African ports have played a distinguished role in the introduction of their hinterlands into the international economic dynamics. In the case of Senegal, the modernization of ports and railways during the colonial period supported this historical process. However, the scholarly tradition does not explore this question of Senegal until the construction of the port of Dakar in 1910. This paper analyses this topic, presenting a global perspective of the port functions developed by Saint-Louis and Gorée during the Senegalese economic transition towards an extroverted market economy. In addition, it will also show the importance of regional connectivity on the configuration of port systems.