Rao is a village in northern Senegal, approximately 15km from Saint-Louis.

It is the seat of the eponymous Rao Arrondissement.

Rao is known primarily as an important archaeological site, where the 'Rao Pectoral' was discovered in a burial mound in 1941.

The large, golden disc is among the most impressive artifacts unearthed in Senegal.

[2] It dates from the period of the founding of the Jolof Empire, and was found near the ancient village of Mboyu-Gar where the empire's founder Ndiadiane Ndiaye first appeared in Waalo.