Niayes is a geographical area in northwestern Senegal which forms a coastal strip, with sand dunes adjoining the sea being backed by a string of fresh water lakes.
It extends from the peninsula of Cap-Vert to the Mauritanian border and from the coast roughly to the road leading from Dakar to Saint-Louis.
[1] The area has a ridge of coastal sand dunes, behind which is a series of permanent, fresh water lakes, lying a few metres above sea level and running parallel to the coast.
[2] Since the middle of the twentieth century, Niayes has been experiencing a significant reduction in precipitation, with rainfall averages in the 1990s being about half what they were in the 1950s, putting the area at risk of desertification.
[3] Niayes is very important to the economy of Senegal, being used for fishing, cattle-grazing and market gardening, with large quantities of vegetables, fruit and rice being grown, made possible by the high water table and the moisture-laden winds blowing in from the ocean.