Matam is a region of Senegal (regional capitals have the same name as their respective regions).It is a stark, flat, arid place bounded on the north by the Sénégal River and the south by the Sahelian plain studded with baobab trees. Matam is populated by the tall Pulaar-speaking Toucouleur people who brought Islam to Senegal in the 11th century and gave us the music of Baaba Maal in the 21st century.