Biffeche
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The Kingdom of Biffeche is a small kingdom located on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, on the border between Mauritania and Senegal near Saint-Louis, Senegal. The kingdom is not independent diplomatically, and belongs to Senegal except for a part in Mauritania.
Low-lying and largely flat, Biffeche has Fulfulde (Fula or Peulh), Serer-Ndut, Wolof and Moor ethnic groups engaged in pasturing animals (mainly the Fulfulde) and irrigation-based agriculture. A tomato-paste factory imports and dilutes tomato paste for reshipment within Senegal. The population is mostly Muslim, but there is a Catholic community and traditional animists. There is a National Bird Park, the Parc du Djoudj, on Biffeche's northern borders.
In the 17th century the king was called the "Petit Brak" or "Little King", with his capital at Maka (as opposed to the "Grand Brak" or "Big King" of the former kingdom of Waalo with capital at NDer). Biffeche was nearly depopulated by repeated slaving raids from the north. At times Biffeche was tributary to Waalo, at other times allied with Bethio. In 1963, after a group of Serer people were transported to Biffeche from central Senegal, the people took the unusual step of choosing a foreign white American, Edward Schafer, as King Edward I of Biffeche. In 1998, he was succeeded by another, Ronald I of Biffeche, still reigning. Any king of Biffeche is automatically also the king of the Kingdom of Axim in Ghana under an arrangement made between them in 1971.
The royal capital of Biffeche was moved to MBoubene in 1960. The chief town is Savoigne.
External links
- Official Website (http://www.kingdomofbiffeche.net/index.htm)