| Senegal |  | Click to enlarge

Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues

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This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006

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| Introduction | Senegal | Top of Page

Background:

Independent from France in 1960, Senegal was ruled by the Socialist Party for forty years until current President Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. 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. A southern separatist group sporadically has clashed with government forces since 1982, but Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping.

| Geography | Senegal | 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 references: | Africa
Area: | total: 196,190 sq km land: 192,000 sq km water: 4,190 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries: | total: 2,640 km border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline: | 531 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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 highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m
Natural resources: | fish, phosphates, iron ore
Land use: | arable land: 12.51% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 87.25% (2005)
Irrigated land: | 710 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: | wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
Geography - note: | westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal

| People | Senegal | Top of Page

Population: | 11,987,121 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: | 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) (2006 est.)
Median age: | total: 19.1 years male: 18.9 years female: 19.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: | 2.34% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: | 32.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 9.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 52.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 56.49 deaths/1,000 live births female: 49.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 59.25 years male: 57.7 years female: 60.85 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 4.38 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.8% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 44,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 3,500 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases: | degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and Rift Valley fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)
Nationality: | noun: Senegalese (singular and plural) adjective: Senegalese
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%
Religions: | Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1%
Languages: | 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% (2003 est.)

| Government | Senegal | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Senegal conventional short form: Senegal local long form: Republique du Senegal local short form: Senegal former: Senegambia (along with The Gambia); Mali Federation
Government type: | republic under multiparty democratic rule
Capital: | Dakar
Administrative divisions: | 11 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor
Independence: | 4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence was achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960
National holiday: | Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
Constitution: | new constitution adopted 7 January 2001
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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Macky SALL (since 21 April 2004)
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 under new constitution; election last held under prior constitution (seven-year terms) 27 February and 19 March 2000 (next to be held February 2007); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Abdoulaye WADE elected president; percent of vote in the second round of voting - Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 58.49%, Abdou DIOUF (PS) 41.51%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms)
note: the former National Assembly, dissolved in the spring of 2001, had 140 seats
elections: last held 29 April 2001 (next to be held in February 2007) note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006, they will now coincide with presidential elections in 2007
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SOPI Coalition 89, AFP 11, PS 10, other 10

Judicial branch: | 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]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP [Moustapha NIASSE]; 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]; Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]; SOPI Coalition (a coalition led by the PDS) [Abdoulaye WADE]; Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]; other small parties

Political pressure groups and leaders: | labor; Muslim brotherhoods; students; teachers

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEMAC, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou Lamine BA chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315 consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Robert P. JACKSON embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar telephone: [221] 823-4296 FAX: [221] 822-2991
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

| Economy | Senegal | 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 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 1995-2004. 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. However, Senegal still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal will benefit from eradication of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector debt.

GDP (purchasing power parity): | $20.44 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $8.012 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 5.2% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $1,700 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 16.1% industry: 21.4% services: 62.5% (2005 est.)
Labor force: | 4.82 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 77% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 48%; note - urban youth 40% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 54% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 33.5% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 41.3 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 1.7% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 22.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $1.657 billion expenditures: $1.926 billion; including capital expenditures of $357 million (2005 est.)
Public debt: | 46.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
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, ship construction and repair
Industrial production growth rate: | 2% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production: | 1.332 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - consumption: | 1.239 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 31,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production: | 50 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 50 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Current account balance: | $-638 million (2005 est.)
Exports: | $1.526 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities: | fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
Exports - partners: | India 14.4%, Mali 13.1%, France 9.8%, Italy 7.3%, Spain 6.6%, Guinea-Bissau 5.6%, TheGambia 4.8% (2004)
Imports: | $2.405 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities: | food and beverages, capital goods, fuels
Imports - partners: | France 24.8%, Nigeria 11.9%, Thailand 6.1% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $1.324 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external: | $3.61 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | $449.6 million (2003 est.)
Currency (code): | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Exchange rates: | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

| Communications | Senegal | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 244,900 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 1,121,300 (2004)
Telephone system: | general assessment: good system domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system international: country code - 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)
Television broadcast stations: | 1 (1997)
Internet country code: | .sn
Internet hosts: | 569 (2005)
Internet users: | 482,000 (2005)

| Transportation | Senegal | Top of Page

Airports: | 20 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2005)
Pipelines: | gas 564 km (2004)
Railways: | total: 906 km narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000 meter gauge (2004)
Roadways: | total: 13,576 km paved: 3,972 km (including 7 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,604 km (2003)
Waterways: | 1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2005)
Ports and terminals: | Dakar

| Military | Senegal | Top of Page

Military branches: | Army, Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Air Force (2005)
Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 2,183,343 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,300,502 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: | males: 124,096 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $117.3 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.4% (2005 est.)

| Transnational Issues | Senegal | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem Senegalese citizens from the Casamance region fleeing separatist violence, cross border raids, and arms smuggling
Refugees and internally displaced persons: | refugees (country of origin): 19,778 (Mauritania) IDPs: 17,000 (clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2005)
Illicit drugs: | transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006