For centuries, Senegal's location and wealth of inland waterways have attracted the attention and influence of external actors. As part of the western Trans-Saharan trade route, the country's namesake Senegal River forged ties to the Arab world. In 1659, France established a colony in what is now the city of St. Louis. From there, it projected its power farther inland, transforming the small colony into the capital of French West Africa in the 19th century. With the passing decades, however, population centers began to spring up along the coast, and in 1902, France moved its capital south to Dakar, a bustling port city on the Cap-Vert peninsula. In addition to its position on the Atlantic Ocean and its penetrating waterways, Senegal's population size has also contributed to its influence in West Africa.