river-port town, southwestern Senegal, lying along the Casamance River. Ziguinchor has long been known and visited by European mariners. In 1457 the Venetian navigator Alvise Ca' da Mosto (Ca' da Mosto, Alvise), envoy of the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator, reconnoitred the harbour. In 1886 the Portuguese ceded Ziguinchor to the French. The town's industries include a peanut- (groundnut-) oil-processing plant. Centre Artisanal, a marketplace for handicrafts, is located here. East of Ziguinchor is the Basse-Casamance National Park. Pop. (2004 est.) 153,972.