Joal-Fadiouth is a town and urban commune in the Thiès Region at the end of the Petite Côte of Senegal, south-east of Dakar.
Protected by the local chief, they were allowed to openly profess their religion, to the annoyance of the Portuguese (Catholic) government.
The proselytisation however was met by strong resistance by the local population, delaying large-scale evangelising by the Europeans to the 19th-century when Senegal became a French colony.
It was during that time that the passage of El Hadj Umar Tall was commemorated by building a mosque for his appraisal.
Today, Joal-Fadiouth is a part of the M'bour Department, occupying the southernmost point of the Thiès Region.
The climate is typical of the Sahel with 3 to 4 months of winter from July to October and mild temperatures from November to April.
The estuary is at any time of the year populated by mangroves, it is pervaded by bolongs, arms of the sea common to the coast of Senegal, mixing salt-water with river water and sprinkled with little isles of sea shells populated by baobabs and acacias.