Chic African Culture Blog

Did you know?

1. No African country names begin with the letters F, H, I, J, O, P, Q, V, W, X, or Y.

2. Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent.

3. African tech startups raise billions of dollars annually, seven African start-ups were included in the World Economic Forum 2021 cohort of 100 Technology Pioneers.

Believe Your Eyes, Le Lac Rose Natural Strawberry Lake of Africa

In Africa a strawberry lake flows.


There is a natural lake the color of strawberries, Lake Retba or Le Lac Rose lies in Senegal Africa just one hour from its capital city Dakar.

Le Lac Rose Natural Strawberry Lake of Africa

Believe Your Eyes, Le Lac Rose Natural Strawberry Lake of Africa


Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

Le Lac Rose is sprinkled with salt miners, using their hands and baskets to collect salt. To protect their skin from Senegal Le Lac Rose salty water, miners rub their skin with a very thick lotion, Shea butter.

Le Lac Rose is sprinkled with salt miners, using their hands and shovels to collect salt.

Lake Retba is named for its pink waters caused by an edible, salt-loving micro-algae dunaliella salina. Dunaliella salina is a microalgae occurring naturally in a number of locations worldwide. Dunaliella salina is an ideal organism to study the effects of saline adaptation in algae.

Le Lac Rose is a natural curiosity thanks to the exceptional color of its waters that daily turn from colors from African violet to ruby red.

Covering an area of approximately one sq mile, the lake breaks down into four adjacent sections labeled Khaar Yaala, Khosss, Virage and Darajee.

The color of Le Lac Rose is particularly visible during the dry season from November to June. The one sq mile strawberry lake has been a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status since 2005. Several countries around the world have pink lakes, including Senegal, Canada, Spain, Australia and Azerbaijan.

It is estimated 1,000 people work around Le Lac Rose collecting 24,000 tons of the salt each year. Over half of the salt is exported throughout Africa.
With a maximum depth of less than ¼ mile, it contains a significant amount of salt that is labored by salt miners and exported throughout the world for cooking, leather goods, and de-icing roads.

Le Lac Rose Natural Strawberry Lake of Africa

Did you know?
The coloring of Le Lac Rosewaters changes throughout the day from African violet to ruby red.

A brief look at Senegal

Named for the Senegal River that forms the northern border of the country; many theories exist for the origin of the river name; perhaps the most widely cited derives the name from Azenegue, the Portuguese appellation for the Berber Zenaga people who lived north of the river. Senegal independence came on April 4, 1960, from France however, complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on August 20, 1960. 

Senegal’s economy is driven by mining, construction, tourism, fisheries, and agriculture, which are the primary sources of employment in rural areas. 

Senegal’s flag has three equal vertical bands of green on the hoist side, yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; green represents Islam, progress, and hope; yellow signifies natural wealth and progress; red symbolizes sacrifice and determination; the star denotes unity and hope. Le Lac Rose natural strawberry lake of Africa Lake Retba is named for its pink waters caused by an edible, salt-loving micro-algae dunaliella salina.

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Africa is surrounded by water but is not an island, here are a few African Island facts.

Madagascar is the 4th large island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean supporting a unique biology, about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth.

Composed of 155 islands, Seychelles is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria.

Cabo Verde has a strategic location 310 miles or 500 km from the west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site.

Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent. Continents can not be considered islands because of their size and also by historic definition since many people who study geography define islands and continents as two different things.

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Being African in America I have grown up learning about different ethnic cultures. My father and mother are historians of African culture and history and their influence expanded my activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded products, and a popular African culture and food blog.

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