World Facts Index
 The
French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted
their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only
a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation
of Senegambia in 1982, but the envisaged integration of the two countries was
never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of
Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist
insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have
failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most
stable democracies in Africa. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40
years until current President Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. He was
reelected in February 2007, but complaints of fraud led opposition parties to
boycott June 2007 legislative polls. Senegal has a long history of participating
in international peacekeeping.
Geography of Senegal
|
Location:
|
Western Africa, bordering
the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania |
|
Coordinates:
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14 00 N, 14 00 W |
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Area:
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total: 196,190 sq km
land: 192,000 sq km
water: 4,190 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
|
slightly smaller than South
Dakota |
|
Land boundaries:
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total: 2,640 km
border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau
338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km |
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Coastline:
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531 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24
NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental
margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
|
Climate:
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tropical; hot, humid; rainy
season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season
(December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind |
|
Terrain:
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generally low, rolling,
plains rising to foothills in southeast |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m |
|
Natural resources:
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fish, phosphates, iron ore |
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Natural hazards:
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lowlands seasonally
flooded; periodic droughts |
|
Environment current issues:
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wildlife populations
threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
desertification; overfishing |
|
Geography - note:
|
westernmost country on the
African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave of Senegal
|
Population of Senegal
|
Population:
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12,853,259 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure:
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0-14 years: 40.8% (male 2,467,021/female 2,422,385)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 3,346,756/female 3,378,518)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 174,399/female 198,042) |
|
Median age:
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19.1 years |
|
Growth rate:
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2.34% |
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Infant mortality:
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52.94 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 59.25 years
male: 57.7 years
female: 60.85 years |
|
Fertility rate:
|
4.38 children born/woman |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Senegalese (singular and
plural)
adjective: Senegalese |
|
Ethnic groups:
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Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola
3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4% |
|
Religions:
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Muslim 94%, indigenous beliefs 1%,
Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic) |
|
Languages:
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French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola,
Mandinka |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 40.2%
male: 50%
female: 30.7%
|
Government
|
Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of
Senegal
local long form: Republique du Senegal |
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Government type:
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republic under multiparty democratic rule |
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Capital:
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Dakar |
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Administrative divisions:
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11 regions (regions, singular - region);
Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies,
Ziguinchor |
|
Independence:
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4 April 1960 (from France); complete
independence was achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960 |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 4 April (1960) |
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Constitution:
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a new constitution was adopted 7 January
2001 |
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Legal system:
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based on French civil law system; judicial
review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the
government's accounting office; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
|
Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since
1 April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Cheikh Hadjibou SOUMARE (since 19 June 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation
with the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for
a second term) under new constitution; election last held on 25 February 2007;
prime minister appointed by the president. |
|
Legislative branch:
|
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120
seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms) |
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Judicial branch:
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Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final
Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals |
Economy
In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic reform
program with the support of the international donor community. This reform
began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's currency, the CFA franc, which was
linked at a fixed rate to the French franc. Government price controls and
subsidies have been steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by
2.1% in 1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform
program, with real growth in GDP averaging over 5% annually during 1995-2007.
Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single digits. As a member of
the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Senegal is working
toward greater regional integration with a unified external tariff and a more
stable monetary policy. High unemployment, however, continues to prompt
illegal migrants to flee Senegal in search of better job opportunities in
Europe. Senegal was also beset by an energy crisis that caused widespread
blackouts in 2006 and 2007. The phosphate industry has struggled for two years
to secure capital, and reduced output has directly impacted GDP. In 2007,
Senegal signed agreements for major new mining concessions for iron, zircon,
and gold with foreign companies. Firms from Dubai have agreed to manage and
modernize Dakar's maritime port, and create a new special economic zone.
Senegal still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance. Under the IMF's
Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal has
benefited from eradication of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and
private-sector debt. In 2007, Senegal and the IMF agreed to a new,
non-disbursing, Policy Support Initiative program..
|
GDP:
|
$21.02 billion (2007 est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
|
6.1% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$1,800 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 17.2%
industry: 20.9%
services: 61.9% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
1.7% |
|
Labor force:
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4.82 million |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 77%
industry and services: 23% |
|
Unemployment:
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48% (urban youth 40%) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $1.657 billion
expenditures: $1.926 billion |
|
Electricity production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 100% |
|
Industries:
|
agricultural and fish processing, phosphate
mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, construction materials |
|
Agriculture:
|
peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice,
cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish |
|
Exports:
|
fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum
products, phosphates, cotton |
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Export partners:
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France 22.7%, India 13.2%, Mali 11.9%, Guinea-Bissau 5.1%,
Gambia, The 4.4%, Italy 4.2% |
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Imports:
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foods and beverages, capital goods, fuels |
|
Import partners:
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France 28.1%, Nigeria 11.2%, US 4.6%, Thailand 4.3% |
|
Currency:
|
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc
(XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |