About Senegal

Senegal (officially the Republic of Senegal), is a country south of the Sénégal River in western Africa. Senegal is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south. The Gambia lies almost entirely within Senegal, surrounded on the north, east and south; from its western coast, Gambia's territory follows the Gambia River more than 300 kilometres (186 miles) inland.

On a continent filled with political instability, Senegal has historically been a country with a relatively stable political climate, a free society, and democratic institutions.

Politics

Senegal is a republic with a powerful presidency. The president is elected by universal adult suffrage. The current president is Abdoulaye Wade, re-elected in March 2007.

Senegal has dozens of political parties, but politics are dominated by the Democratic Socialist Party of President Wade. Senegal has a unicameral National Assembly with 120 members elected separately from the president and an independent judiciary.

Today Senegal has a democratic political culture, being one of the more successful post-colonial democratic transitions in Africa. Local administrators are appointed by, and responsible to, the president. The marabouts, religious leaders of the various Senegalese Muslim brotherhoods, also exercise a strong political influence in the country.

Geography

Senegal is located on the west of the African continent. The Senegalese landscape consists mainly of the rolling sandy plains of the western Sahel which rise to foothills in the southeast. Here is also found Senegal's highest point, an otherwise unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha at 584 m (1926 ft). The northern border is formed by the Senegal River, other rivers include the Gambia and Casamance Rivers. The capital Dakar lies on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of continental Africa.

The local climate is tropical with well-defined dry and humid seasons that result from northeast winter winds and southwest summer winds. Dakar's annual rainfall of about 600 mm (24 in) occurs between June and October when maximum temperatures average 27 °C (81 °F); December to February minimum temperatures are about 17 °C (63°F). Interior temperatures can be substantially higher than along the coast, and rainfall increases substantially farther south, exceeding 1.5 m (59.1 in) annually in some areas. The far interior of the country, in the region of Tambacounda, particularly on the border or Mali, temperatures can reach as high as 130 °F (54 °C).

Senegal is subdivided into 11 regions and the country is further subdivided into 34 Départements, 103 Arrondissements and into Collectivités Locales, which elect administrative officers. Regional capitals have the same name as their respective regions: Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor. Three new regions were formed recently, but have not yet been fully integrated into the regional system: Kedougou, Sedhiou, and Kaffrine.

Economy

Senegal ranks among the least developed countries in the world. Recurrent periods of drought and the impact of desertification over the past four decades have limited efforts to increase agricultural production and expand industrialization. Roughly 70 percent of the population remains engaged in agriculture, which contributes less than 25 percent to the GDP.

In 1994 Senegal undertook an economic reform program with the support of the international donor community. This reform began with a 50 percent devaluation of Senegal's currency, the CFA franc, which was linked at a fixed rate to the former French franc and now to the euro. Government price controls and subsidies have been partially dismantled.

The main industries include agriculture, tourism, food processing, mining, cement, artificial fertilizer, chemicals, and textiles. Exports include fish, chemicals, cotton, fabrics, groundnuts, and calcium phosphate.

Population

Senegal has a population of about 12 million, about 70 percent of whom live in rural areas. Density in these areas varies from about 77 inhabitants per square kilometer (199/sq mi) in the west-central region to 2 inhabitants per square kilometer (5/sq mi) in the arid eastern section.

Religion

Islam is the predominant religion, practiced by approximately 95 percent of the country's population; the Christian community, at around 5 percent of the population, includes Roman Catholics and diverse Protestant denominations. There are also those who maintain animism in their beliefs, particularly in the southeastern region of the country.

Languages

Dakar was the capital of colonial French West Africa and French is still the language most used in classroom instruction. Wolof is the most spoken local language, followed by variations of Pulaar, and minority languages such as Jaxanke, Mandinka, and Sereer.

Web sites with information about Senegal

State Department information about Senegal
Lonely Planet section on Senegal
World Factbook page on Senegal
Wikipedia page on Senegal
Official Government of Senegal web site (in French)
USAID Senegal site. USAID and Peace Corps partner on many projects.
Wikipedia page on Agriculture in Senegal
World Bank statistics on Senegal and Millennium Development Goals

Articles about Senegal

New York Times article (June 2008): Memo from Dakar: Shadows Grow across one of Africa's Bright Lights
The Songs of Senegal (December 2009)