The Cape Vert peninsula was settled, no later than the 15th century, by the Lebou
people, an aquacultural ethnic group related to the neighboring Wolof and
Sereer. The original villages: Ouakam, Ngor, Yoff and Hann, still constitute
distinctively Lebou neighborhoods of the city today. In 1444, the Portuguese
reached the Bay of Dakar, initially as slave-raiders, but were repulsed by the
natives on the shores. Peaceful contact was finally opened in 1456 by Diogo
Gomes, and the bay was subsequently referred to as the "Angra de
Bezeguiche" (after the name of the local ruler). The bay of
"Bezeguiche" would serve