# Kaolack

> town and regional capital in Senegal

**Wikidata**: [Q847677](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q847677)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaolack)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/kaolack

## Summary
Kaolack is a town and regional capital located in Senegal, classified as a city and big city. It serves as the administrative center of the Kaolack region and had a population of 172,305 inhabitants as of 2002. The town is situated at an elevation of 22 meters above sea level within the Greenwich Mean Time zone.

## Key Facts
- **Classification**: Kaolack is an instance of a city and a big city.
- **Location**: It is located in Senegal and serves as the capital of the Kaolack region.
- **Population**: The population was recorded as 172,305 in 2002.
- **Coordinates**: The town lies at approximately 14.1389° N, 16.0764° W or 14.15197° N, 16.07259° W.
- **Elevation**: It sits at an elevation of 22 meters above sea level.
- **Time Zone**: Kaolack observes Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
- **Aliases**: The town is also known by the alias "Kawlax."
- **Sister Cities**: Kaolack is twinned with Aosta, Mérignac, and Memphis.
- **Notable Infrastructure**: The Medina Baay Mosque is a prominent structure in the town.

## FAQs
**What is the geographical location of Kaolack?**
Kaolack is situated in the country of Senegal. It functions as the regional capital of the Kaolack area and is positioned at coordinates roughly 14.14° N latitude and -16.07° W longitude.

**What is the population of Kaolack?**
The town had a recorded population of 172,305 people according to data from 2002.

**Which cities are twinned with Kaolack?**
Kaolack maintains town twinning agreements with three administrative bodies: Aosta, Mérignac, and Memphis.

## Why It Matters
Kaolack serves as a significant administrative and urban hub within Senegal. As the capital of the Kaolack region, it plays a central role in the local governance and organization of the area. Its status as a "big city" underscores its importance relative to other settlements, functioning as a center for people born in or associated with the region. The presence of specific categories for births and associated people in knowledge bases highlights its function as a demographic and cultural anchor point.

## Notable For
- **Administrative Role**: Serves as the capital of the Kaolack region.
- **Global Connections**: Maintains official sister-city relationships with Aosta (Italy), Mérignac (France), and Memphis (United States).
- **Religious Landmark**: Home to the Medina Baay Mosque, a notable site depicted in primary imagery for the town.
- **Linguistic Reach**: The entity has a significant digital footprint, with Wikipedia pages available in approximately 40 languages including Wolof (wo), French (fr), English (en), and Arabic (ar).

## Body

### Geography and Demographics
Kaolack is positioned in Senegal with specific coordinate references placing it at latitude 14.138888888889 and longitude -16.076388888889, or alternatively 14.15197 latitude and -16.07259 longitude. The town is situated at a low elevation, measured at 22 meters above sea level.

According to records from 2002, the town supports a population of 172,305 residents. It falls under the Greenwich Mean Time zone. The area is associated with specific library and authority identifications, such as the Library of Congress Authority ID `n84235767` and the VIAF ID `279171026`.

### Governance and Regional Status
The town is officially recognized as a regional capital (capital_of: Kaolack) and is categorized as a "big city" and "city." It is an administrative center located within the broader Kaolack region. The "topic's main category" for the town is designated as Category:Kaolack, and it maintains specific categories for individuals connected to it, such as "Category:Births in Kaolack" and "Category:People from Kaolack."

### International Relations
Kaolack has established international ties through town twinning programs. It is officially twinned with:
- Aosta
- Mérignac
- Memphis

These connections are documented within its structured properties as "twinned administrative body."

### Media and Digital Presence
Kaolack has a notable presence across various digital encyclopedias and knowledge bases. It holds an encyclopaedia Beliana ID (`kaolack`), a Great Russian Encyclopedia online ID (`2042682`), and an Encyclopædia Britannica online ID (`place/Kaolack`). The town is represented on Quora as the topic "Kaolack-Senegal" and has a store ID on Google Play. Its Wikipedia presence spans 40 languages, including less common ones like Veps (vep) and zeelandic (zea), indicating a broad global interest.

Visual documentation of the town includes a page banner image file (`Kaolack1_(cropped).JPG`) and a specific image of the Medina Baay Mosque (`MedinaBaayMosque.jpg`), captioned "La mesquita de Medina Baye."

### Identifiers and Technical Data
A wide array of unique identifiers confirms the town's classification across databases:
- **GeoNames ID**: 2250805
- **GND ID**: 1214651127
- **Who's On First ID**: 421168951
- **BBC Things ID**: 7b491c29-2df3-4c62-84e2-0873a2d176b0
- **Yale LUX ID**: place/869a7db0-dd79-4fc4-bb88-adb51e800f7b
- **OpenStreetMap Node ID**: 3329033430
- **WOEID (Where On Earth ID)**: 1413800
- **Freebase ID**: /m/05g3vn
- **Snarc ID**: Ponte dei Bareteri
- **GNS Unique Feature ID**: -2269049
- **WorldCat Entities ID**: E39PBJB47X8tWV33hh3gfGy68C

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. Flickr Shapefiles Public Dataset 2.0
4. GeoNames
5. BBC Things