Map of Senegal | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Independent from France in 1960 Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. However the envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out and the union was dissolved in 1989. Despite peace talks a southern separatist group sporadically has clashed with government forces since 1982. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping.


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Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania

Geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 14 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 196,190 km²
Land: 192,000 km²
Water: 4,190 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Dakota

Land boundaries
Total: 2,640 km
Border countries: (5) The Gambia 740 km; , Guinea 330 km; , Guinea-Bissau 338 km; , Mali 419 km; , Mauritania 813 km

Coastline: 531 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind

Terrain: generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: unnamed location in the Futa Jaldon foothills 581 m

Natural resources: fish, phosphates, iron ore

Land use
Arable land: 12%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 16%
Forests and woodland: 54%
Other: 18% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 710 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

Geography
Note: The Gambia is almost an enclave of Senegal


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Population: 9,403,546 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 3.35% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Senegalese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Senegalese

Ethnic groups: Wolof 36%, Fulani 17%, Serer 17%, Toucouleur 9%, Diola 9%, Mandingo 9%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 2%

Languages: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, Mandingo

Religions: Muslim 92%, indigenous beliefs 6%, Christian 2% (mostly Roman Catholic)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 48% (male 2,259,765; female 2,270,363)
15-64 years: 49% (male 2,190,263; female 2,418,385)
65 years and over: 3% (male 130,742; female 134,028) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.35% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 44.91 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 11.4 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 62.6 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 56.93 years
Male: 54.15 years
Female: 59.79 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.24 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 33.1%
Male: 43%
Female: 23.2% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Senegal
Conventional short form: Senegal
Local long form: Republique du Senegal
Local short form: Senegal

Government type: republic under multiparty democratic rule

Capital: Dakar

Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions, singular - region; Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor

Dependent areas

Independence: 4 April 1960 from France; complete independence was achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960 (The Gambia and Senegal signed an agreement on 12 December 1981 that called for the creation of a loose confederation to be known as Senegambia, but the agreement was dissolved on 30 September 1989)

National holiday: Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Constitution: 3 March 1963, revised 1991

Legal system: based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the government's accounting office; Senegal has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Abdou DIOUF (since 1 January 1981)
Head of government: Prime Minister Habib THIAM (since 7 April 1991)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 21 February 1993 (next to be held NA February 2000); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Abdou DIOUF reelected president; percent of vote - Abdou DIOUF (PS) 58.4%, Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 32.03%, other 9.57%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 9 May 1993 (next to be held NA May 1998)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PS 70%, PDS 23%, other 7%; seats by party - PS 84, PDS 27, LD-MPT 3, AND/JEF-PADS 3, PIT 2, UDS-R 1

Judicial branch: under the terms of a reform of the judicial system implemented in 1992, the principal organs of the judiciary are as follows; Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or Cour de Cessation; Court of Appeals

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mamadou Mansour SECK
In the us chancery: 2,112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540, 0541
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dane Farnsworth SMITH, Jr. (5 August 1996)
From the us embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Avenue Kleber, Dakar
From the us mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar
From the us telephone: [221] 23 42 96, 23 34 24
From the us FAX: [221] 22 29 91

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: In 1994 Senegal embarked on its most concerted structural adjustment effort yet to exploit the 50% devaluation of the currencies of the 14 Francophone African nations which took place on 12 January of that year. After years of foot-dragging, the government passed a liberalized labor code which should lower the cost of labor and improve the manufacturing sector's competitiveness. Inroads also have been made in closing tax loopholes, eliminating monopoly power in several sectors, and privatizing state-owned firms. At the same time, the government is holding the line on current fiscal expenditure under the watchful eyes of international organizations on which it depends for substantial support. The IMF, in mid-1995, announced that the government met most economic targets as called for in its Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility agreement and released the second $50 million tranche. The country's narrow tax and resource base, environmental degradation, and untamed growth of the population will continue to hold back improvement in living standards over the medium term. According to the draft budget, GDP will again rise by 5% in 1997.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (1996 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 21%
Industry: 19%
Services: 60% (1995 est.)

Agriculture products: peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish

Industries: agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, petroleum refining, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (1994)

Labor force
Total: 2.509 million (77% are engaged in subsistence farming; 175,000 wage earners)
By occupation private sector: 40%
By occupation governmentandparapublic: 60%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $876 million
Expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of $N/A

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports
Total value: $968 million (f.o.b., 1995)
Commodities: fish, ground nuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
Partners: France, other EU countries, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali

Imports
Total value: $1.22 billion (f.o.b., 1995.)
Commodities: foods and beverages, consumer goods, capital goods, petroleum products
Partners: France 30%, other EU countries, Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Algeria, China, Japan

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $4.1 billion (1995 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 541.69 (January 1997), 511.55 (1966), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992)
Note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948


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Electricity
Capacity: 303,440 kW
Production: 1.027 billion kWh (1997 est.)
Consumption per capita: 109 kWh (1997 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 81,988 (1995 est.)

Telephone system
Domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber optic cable in trunk system
International: 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $81 million (1996 est.)
Percent of gdp: 2.1% (1996 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 17 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 10
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 7
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (1996 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 904 km
Narrow gauge: 904 km 1.000-meter gauge (70 km double track) (1995)

Roadways

Waterways: 897 km total; 785 km on the Senegal river, and 112 km on the Saloum river

Merchant marine: total:1 bulk ship, 1,995 GRT/3,775 DWT (1996 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: short section of boundary with The Gambia is indefinite

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis