Senegambia is part of the tropical zone, wide open to the Atlantic Ocean, between the Sahara desert and the tropical forests of Guinea. The Senegal and the Gambia are the main rivers through which people from the interior, like the Bambara and the Mandingo, were sold as slaves. The Gambia River is the main route of penetration into the hinterland and divides the region in two parts: Northern Senegambia and Southern Senegambia. Northern Senegambia was the site of many political constructions based on hierarchical societies. Millet was the principal food crop and Islam became the principal religion without erasing the traditional practices. The main ethnic groups are the Wolof, the Fulbe, the Sereer, and the Moors. Up to 1742, the trade of Senegal was a monopoly of the French Company of the West Indies which had its headquarters in Saint-Louis at the mouth of the Senegal River. Gorée Island was the principal entrepôt where both merchandise and slaves were stored before being shipped away. The trade of the Gambia River was under the control of the British who constantly competed with the French. The Bambara and the Mandingo were among the most frequent ethnicities on Louisiana plantations. They contributed very deep cultural influences to the culture of Louisiana including masking, which eventually led to the resilient tradition of the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans. The Wolof, the Moors, and the Fulbe were respectively designated as Senegal, Nard, and Poullard. Nard is the Wolof name for Moors. The Fulbe of Fuuta Tooro call themselves Haal Pulaar (Pulaar speakers). Senegal and Poullard have been retained as family names in Southwest Louisiana. The Bouki and Lapin folktales of Louisiana originated from Senegambia. These tales also survived in Haiti (Bouki and Ti Malice), in Florida, and the Bahamas (Bouky and Rabby). Bouki is the Wolof name for the hyena. His name came with the enslaved Africans and one can still recognize him under the disguise of a wild coyote, along with Bugs Bunny, the Warner Bros’ rendition of Compère Lapin aka Brer Rabbit.