Place de l'Indépendance

Place de l'Indépendance is the central square of downtown Dakar, laid out during the colonial period as Place Protet and renamed after independence in 1960. Framed by banks, ministries and hotels, it functions as the symbolic heart of the administrative city. A landscaped central island with fountains and a monument to independence gives the square its ceremonial character. Broad avenues radiate outward toward the port and the Plateau district, and the plaza remains a gathering point for national commemorations and civic life.