Background
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[ Geography ] [ People ] [ Government ] [ Economy ] [ Communications ] [ Transportation ] [ Military ]

Geography

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.

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

Geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 14 00 W

Area:
total: 196,190 sq km
land: 192,000 sq km
water: 4,190 sq km

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:
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
highest point : unnamed location in the Futa Jaldon foothills 581 m

Natural resources: fish, phosphates, iron ore

Land use:
arable land : 11.58%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 88.23% (1998 est.)

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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping

Geography - note: Westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave of Senegal

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People

Population: 9,403,546 (July 1997 est.); 9,987,494 (July 2000 est.); 10,589,571 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure:
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: 3.35% (1997 est.); 2.94% (2000 est.); 2.91% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 44.91 births/1,000 population (1997 est.); 37.94 births/1,000 population (2000 est.); 36.99 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 11.4 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.); 8.57 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.); 8.14 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.); 0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio:
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: 62.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.); 58.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.); 55.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.93 years (1997 est.), 62.19 years (2000 est.); 62.93 years 2002 est.)
male: 54.15 years (1997 est.), 60.6 years (2000 est.); 64.61 years (2002 est.)
female: 59.79 years (1997 est.), 63.82 years (2000 est.); 61.29 years 2002 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.24 children born/woman (1997 est.); 5.21 children born/woman (2000 est.); 5.03 children born/woman (2002 est.)

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%, indigenous beliefs 1%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic)

Languages: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population : 39.1%
male: 51.1%
female: 28.9% (2001 est.)

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Government

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

National capital: Dakar

Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor note: there may be another region called Mata

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. A new constitution was 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; Senegal has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1st April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Madior BOYE (since 3 March 2001)
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 27 February and 19 March 2000 (next to be held 27 February 2005); 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)
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: 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: 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

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, 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

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

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Economy

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 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: purchasing power parity - $15.6 billion (1996 est.); $16.6 billion (1999 est.); $16.2 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - 5% (1996 est.); 5% (1999 est.); 5.7% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (1996 est.); $1,650 (1999 est.); $1,580 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture : 18.5%
industry: 20.7%
services: 60.8% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 54% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 42.8% (1991)

Inflation rate - consumer prices: 7.8% (1995);, 2% (1999 est.); 3.3% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
total: 2.509 million (77% are engaged in subsistence farming; 175,000 wage earners)
by occupation: agriculture 70%

Unemployment rate: 48% (urban youth 40%) (2001 est.)

Budget:
revenues:$885 million(1996 est.); $1.373 billion (2002 est.)
expenditures: $885 million, including capital expenditures of $125 million (1996 est.); $1.373 billion, including capital expenditures of $357 million (2002 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (1994); 7% (1998 est.); 5.2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 1.027 billion kWh (1997 est.); 1.2 billion kWh (1998); 1.32 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2000)

Electricity - consumption: 1.116 billion kWh (1998); 1.228 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)

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

Exports:
total value: $968 million (f.o.b., 1995); $925 million (f.o.b., 1998); $1 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
commodities: fish, ground nuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
partners : France 22%, Italy, India, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali (1998); France 19%, Italy 12%, Spain 6%, Cote d'Ivoire 2% (2000)

Imports:
total value: $1.22 billion (f.o.b., 1995.); $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998); $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
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); France 27%, Nigeria 19%, Germany 4%, US 4%, Italy 3% (2000)

Debt - external: $4.1 billion (1995 est.); $3.4 billion (1998 est.); $3.1 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $439 million (1993); $647.5 million (1995); $362.6 million (2002 est.)

Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 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: calendar year

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Communications

Telephones: 82,000 (1995); 234,916 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 122 (1995); 373,965 (2001)

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)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 850,000 (1993 est.), 1.24 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1

Televisions: 61,000 (1993 est.), 361,000 (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (1999); 15 (2002)

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Transportation

Railways: total: 906 km
narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-meter gauge (70 km double-tracked) (2001)

Highways:
total: 14,576 km
paved: 4,271 km
unpaved: 10,305 km (1996 est.)

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

Ports and harbors: Dakar, Kaolack, Matam, Podor, Richard-Toll, Saint-Louis, Ziguinchor

Airports: 20 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways:
total : 9
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total : 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2001)

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Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police (Surete Nationale)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,938,693 (1997 est.); 2,218,920 (2000 est.); 2,406,337 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 1,012,181 (1997 est.); 1,158,893 (2000 est.); 1,257,423 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $81 million (1996 est.); $68 million (FY97); $68.6 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (1996 est.); 1.4% (FY97); 1.4% (FY02)

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