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  Senegal  
Flag of Senegal
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  Introduction
  Geography
  People
  Government
  Economy
  Communications
  Transportation
  Military
  Transnational Issues

In general, information available as of 1 January 2002
was used in the preparation of The World Factbook 2002.


This page was last updated on 19 March 2003


Map of Senegal

Legend: Definition Definition Field Listing Field Listing
   Introduction    Senegal
Background:
Definition Field Listing
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.
   Geography    Senegal
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
14 00 N, 14 00 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Africa
Area:
Definition Field Listing
total: 196,190 sq km
land: 192,000 sq km
water: 4,190 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 2,640 km
border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
531 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
fish, phosphates, iron ore
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 11.58%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 88.23% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
710 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave of Senegal
   People    Senegal
Population:
Definition Field Listing
10,589,571 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 43.5% (male 2,321,789; female 2,290,105)
15-64 years: 53.4% (male 2,710,178; female 2,943,554)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 159,445; female 164,500) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
2.91% (2002 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing
36.99 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing
8.14 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing
55.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing
total population: 62.93 years
female: 64.61 years (2002 est.)
male: 61.29 years
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing
5.03 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing
1.4% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing
95,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing
10,000 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Senegalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Senegalese
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
Muslim 94%, indigenous beliefs 1%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 39.1%
male: 51.1%
female: 28.9% (2001 est.)
   Government    Senegal
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Republic of Senegal
conventional short form: Senegal
local short form: Senegal
local long form: Republique du Senegal
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
republic under multiparty democratic rule
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
Dakar
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
10 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor
note: there may be another region called Matam
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
4 April 1960 (from France); complete independence was achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
a new constitution was adopted 7 January 2001
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Idrissa SECK (since 4 November 2002)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with 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%
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term under new constitution; election last held 27 February and 19 March 2000 (next to be held 27 February 2005); prime minister appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 29 April 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SOPI Coalition 89, AFP 11, PS 10, other 10
note: the former National Assembly, dissolved in the spring of 2001, had 140 seats
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals; note-the judicial system was reformed in 1992
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
labor; Muslim brotherhoods; students; teachers
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
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, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou L. BA
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315
consulate(s) general: New York
telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540
chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Harriet L. ELAM-THOMAS
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:
Definition Field Listing
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
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
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 during 1995-2001. Annual inflation had been pushed down to less than 1%, but rose to an estimated 3.3% in 2001. 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 (WAEMU), 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, trade union militancy, juvenile delinquency, and drug addiction.
GDP:
Definition Field Listing
purchasing power parity - $16.2 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
5.7% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita:
Definition Field Listing
purchasing power parity - $1,580 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 19%
industry: 21%
services: 61% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
54% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 43% (1991)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
41 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing
3.3% (2001 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture 70%
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing
48% (urban youth 40%) (2001 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $1.373 billion
expenditures: $1.373 billion, including capital expenditures of $357 million (2002 est.)
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
5.2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing
1.32 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source:
Definition Field Listing
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing
1.228 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish
Exports:
Definition Field Listing
$1 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
France 19%, Italy 12%, Spain 6%, Cote d'Ivoire 2% (2000)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing
$1.3 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
foods and beverages, consumer goods, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
France 27%, Nigeria 19%, Germany 4%, US 4%, Italy 3% (2000)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing
$3.1 billion (2002 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$362.6 million (2002 est.)
Currency:
Definition Field Listing
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code:
Definition Field Listing
XOF
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Senegal
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing
234,916 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing
373,965 (2001)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: good 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)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:
Definition Field Listing
1.24 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
1 (1997)
Televisions:
Definition Field Listing
361,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.sn
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
Definition Field Listing
1 (2002)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing
100,000 (2002)
   Transportation    Senegal
Railways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 906 km
narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-meter gauge (70 km double-tracked) (2001)
Highways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 14,576 km
paved: 4,271 km
unpaved: 10,305 km (1996)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing
897 km
note: 785 km on the Senegal river, and 112 km on the Saloum river
Ports and harbors:
Definition Field Listing
Dakar, Kaolack, Matam, Podor, Richard Toll, Saint-Louis, Ziguinchor
Airports:
Definition Field Listing
20 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2002)
   Military    Senegal
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police (Surete Nationale)
Military manpower - military age:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability:
Definition Field Listing
males age 15-49: 2,406,337 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 15-49: 1,257,423 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males: 114,189 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
Definition Field Listing
$68.6 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing
1.4% (FY02)
   Transnational Issues    Senegal
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
Senegalese separatists disrupt legal border trade with smuggling, cattle rustling, and other illegal activities in Guinea-Bissau
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis

This page was last updated on 19 March 2003


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