Map of Senegal | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

top of page


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.


top of page


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
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Dakota

Land boundaries

Coastline: 531 km

Maritime claims

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

Natural resources: fish phosphates iron ore

Land use

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


top of page


Population: 9,987,494 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 2.94% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Wolof 43.3% Pular 23.8% Serer 14.7% Jola 3.7% Mandinka 3% Soninke 1.1% European and Lebanese 1% other 9.4%

Languages: French (official) Wolof Pulaar Jola Mandinka

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.94% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 37.94 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 8.57 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 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

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 58.08 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 5.21 children born/woman (2000 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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name

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 (constituted February 1982) 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

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (140 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

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 Cassation; Court of Appeals

Political parties and leaders: African Party for Democracy and Socialism or And Jef (also known as PADS/AJ) [Landing SAVANE secretary general]; African Party of Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP (also known as Garab-Gi) [Dr. Iba Der THIAM]; Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for Socialism and Democracy or FSD [Cheikh Abdoulaye DIEYE]; Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor Party or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; National Democratic Rally or RND [Madier DIOUF]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE]; Senegalese Democratic Party-Renewal or PDS-R [Serigne Lamine DIOP secretary general]; Senegalese Democratic Union-Renewal or UDS-R [Mamadou Puritain FALL]; Socialist Party or PS [President Abdou DIOUF]; Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]; other small parties

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 MIPONUH NAM OAU OIC OPCW PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNIKOM UNMIBH UNMIK UNTAET UPU WADB WAEMU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation

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


top of page


Economy overview: 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 is 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 5% annually in 1995-99. Annual inflation has been pushed down to 2% and the fiscal deficit has been cut to less than 1.5% of GDP. Investment rose steadily from 13.8% of GDP in 1993 to 16.5% in 1997. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with a unified external tariff. Senegal also realized full Internet connectivity in 1996 creating a miniboom in information technology-based services. Private activity now accounts for 82% of GDP. On the negative side Senegal faces deep-seated urban problems of chronic unemployment juvenile delinquency and drug addiction. Real GDP growth is expected to rise above 6% while inflation is likely to hold at 2% in 2000-2001.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1650 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 7% (1998 est.)

Labor force: NA
By occupation: agriculture 60%

Unemployment rate: NA%; urban youth 40%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2% (1999 est.)

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: $925 million (f.o.b. 1998)
Commodities: fish ground nuts (peanuts) petroleum products phosphates cotton
Partners: France 22% Italy India Cote d'Ivoire Mali (1998)

Imports: $1.2 billion (f.o.b. 1998)
Commodities: foods and beverages consumer goods capital goods petroleum products
Partners: France 36% other EU countries Nigeria Cameroon Cote d'Ivoire Algeria US China Japan (1998)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $3.4 billion (1998 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25 (January 2000) 615.70 (1999) 589.95 (1998) 583.67 (1997) 511.55 (1966) 499.15 (1995)


top of page


Electricity
Production: 1.2 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 1.116 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Main lines in use: 82,000 (1995)
Mobile cellular: 122 (1995)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: 4 (1999)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $68 million (FY97)
Percent of gdp: 1.4% (FY97)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 20 (1999 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

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

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


top of page


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