ZIGUINCHOR, VICARIATO APOSTOLICO of. — It is situated in the part of Senegal lying between Portuguese Guinea and Gambia.
It consists of a long strip of land, traversed in part by the Casamance River. It was erected as an apostolic prefecture on 25 April 1939 and elevated to an apostolic vicariate on 10 July 1952, its territory being detached from the apostolic prefecture of S. Luigi del Senegal. It is entrusted to the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. It has an area of 45,565 sq. km., with 325,000 inhabitants, of whom 21,646 are Catholics, 685 catechumens, 208,000 Muslims, and 94,271 pagans. Missionaries 21, brothers 7, sisters 13, catechists 135. Quasi-parishes 2, principal stations 5, secondary stations 120, elementary schools 16.
BIBL.: AAS. 31 (1939), pp. 336–37; MC, 1950; Archivio della S. Congr. de Prop. Fide, pos. prot. n. 4715/51. Saverio Paventi