commercial and residential buildings have been turned into restaurants and hotels to support the tourist traffic. Administration With the foundation of Dakar in 1857, Gorée gradually lost its importance. In 1872, the French colonial authorities created the two communes of Saint-Louis and Gorée, the first western-style municipalities in West Africa, with the same status as any commune in France. Dakar, on the mainland, was part of the commune of Gorée, whose administration was located on the island. However, as early as 1887, Dakar was detached from the commune of Gorée and was turned into a commune in its own right. Thus, the commune of Gorée became limited to its tiny island. In 1891, Gorée still had 2,100 inhabitants, while Dakar only had 8,737 inhabitants. However, by 1926 the population of Gorée had declined to only 700 inhabitants, while the population of Dakar had increased to 33,679 inhabitants. Thus, in 1929 the commune of Gorée was merged with Dakar. The commune of Gorée disappeared, and Gorée was now only a small island of the commune of Dakar. In 1996, a massive reform of the administrative and political divisions of Senegal was voted by the Parliament of Senegal. The commune of Dakar, deemed too large and too populated to be properly managed by a central municipality, was divided into 19 to which extensive powers were given. The commune of Dakar was maintained above these 19 . It coordinates the activities of the , much as Greater London coordinates the activities of the London boroughs. Thus, in 1996 the of Gorée was resurrected, although it is now only a (but in fact with powers quite similar to a ). The new of Gorée (officially, the ) took possession of the old (town hall) in the center of the island. This had been used as the of the former commune of Gorée between 1872 and 1929. The of Gorée is ruled by a municipal council () democratically elected every 5 years, and by a mayor elected by members of the municipal council. The current mayor of Gorée is Augustin Senghor, elected in 2002. Archaeology of Gorée Island The island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, since September 1978. Most of the main buildings in Gorée were constructed during the second half of the eighteenth century. The main buildings are the Slave house, 1786; William Ponty School, 1770; (Maritime museum), 1835; , originally called the