The French colonies of Senegal and French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted independence in 1960 as the Mali Federation. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never implemented, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff with Macky SALL, whose term runs until 2019. A 2016 constitutional referendum reduced the term to five years with a maximum of two consecutive terms for future presidents.
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
14 00 N, 14 00 W
Africa
total: 196,722 sq km
land: 192,530 sq km
water: 4,192 sq km
slightly smaller than South Dakota
total: 2,684 km
border countries (5): The Gambia 749 km, Guinea 363 km, Guinea-Bissau 341 km, Mali 489 km, Mauritania 742 km
531 km
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
tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
mean elevation: 69 m
elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed elevation southwest of Kedougou 581 m
fish, phosphates, iron ore
agricultural land: 46.8%
arable land 17.4%; permanent crops 0.3%; permanent pasture 29.1%
forest: 43.8%
other: 9.4% (2011 est.)
1,200 sq km (2012)
lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing
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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal
14,320,055 (July 2016 est.)
noun: Senegalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Senegalese
Wolof 38.7%, Pular 26.5%, Serer 15%, Mandinka 4.2%, Jola 4%, Soninke 2.3%, other 9.3% (includes Europeans and persons of Lebanese descent) (2010-11 est.)
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Muslim 95.4% (most adhere to one of the four main Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 4.2% (mostly Roman Catholic), animist 0.4% (2010-11 est.)
Senegal has a large and growing youth population but has not been successful in developing its potential human capital. Senegal’s high total fertility rate of almost 4.5 children per woman continues to bolster the country’s large youth cohort – more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25. Fertility remains high because of the continued desire for large families, the low use of family planning, and early childbearing. Because of the country’s high illiteracy rate (more than 40%), high unemployment (even among university graduates), and widespread poverty, Senegalese youths face dim prospects; women are especially disadvantaged.
Senegal historically was a destination country for economic migrants, but in recent years West African migrants more often use Senegal as a transit point to North Africa – and sometimes illegally onward to Europe. The country also has been host to several thousand black Mauritanian refugees since they were expelled from their homeland during its 1989 border conflict with Senegal. The country’s economic crisis in the 1970s stimulated emigration; departures accelerated in the 1990s. Destinations shifted from neighboring countries, which were experiencing economic decline, civil wars, and increasing xenophobia, to Libya and Mauritania because of their booming oil industries and to developed countries (most notably former colonial ruler France, as well as Italy and Spain). The latter became attractive in the 1990s because of job opportunities and their periodic regularization programs (legalizing the status of illegal migrants).
Additionally, about 16,000 Senegalese refugees still remain in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau as a result of more than 30 years of fighting between government forces and rebel separatists in southern Senegal’s Casamance region.
0-14 years: 41.85% (male 3,011,233/female 2,981,128)
15-24 years: 20.36% (male 1,452,415/female 1,462,989)
25-54 years: 30.93% (male 2,031,035/female 2,398,788)
55-64 years: 3.91% (male 242,429/female 317,439)
65 years and over: 2.95% (male 189,201/female 233,398) (2016 est.)
total dependency ratio: 87.6%
youth dependency ratio: 82.1%
elderly dependency ratio: 5.5%
potential support ratio: 18.2% (2015 est.)
total: 18.7 years
male: 17.8 years
female: 19.6 years (2016 est.)
2.42% (2016 est.)
34 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
8.3 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
-1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
urban population: 43.7% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 3.59% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
DAKAR (capital) 3.52 million (2015)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.85 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.76 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
total number: 657,216
percentage: 22% (2005 est.)
315 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
total: 50.3 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 56.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 44.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
total population: 61.7 years
male: 59.7 years
female: 63.8 years (2016 est.)
4.36 children born/woman (2016 est.)
17.8% (2012/13)
4.7% of GDP (2014)
0.06 physicians/1,000 population (2008)
0.3 beds/1,000 population (2008)
improved:
urban: 92.9% of population
rural: 67.3% of population
total: 78.5% of population
unimproved:
urban: 7.1% of population
rural: 32.7% of population
total: 21.5% of population (2015 est.)
improved:
urban: 65.4% of population
rural: 33.8% of population
total: 47.6% of population
unimproved:
urban: 34.6% of population
rural: 66.2% of population
total: 52.4% of population (2015 est.)
0.52% (2015 est.)
45,800 (2015 est.)
2,200 (2015 est.)
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies (2016)
8.3% (2014)
12.8% (2014)
7.2% of GDP (2014)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.7%
male: 69.7%
female: 46.6% (2015 est.)
total: 8 years
male: 8 years
female: 8 years (2010)
21.4
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2014 est.)
total: 12.7%
male: 8.3%
female: 19% (2011 est.)
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
etymology: named for the Senegal River that forms the northern border of the country; many theories exist for the origin of the river name; perhaps the most widely cited derives the name from "Azenegue," the Portuguese appellation for the Berber Zenaga people who lived north of the river
presidential republic
name: Dakar
geographic coordinates: 14 44 N, 17 38 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
14 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaffrine, Kaolack, Kedougou, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Sedhiou, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor
4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960
Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
previous 1959 (preindependence), 1963; latest adopted by referendum 7 January 2001, promulgated 22 January 2001; amended many times, last in 2016 (2016)
civil law system based on French law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Senegal
dual citizenship recognized: no, but Senegalese citizens do not automatically lose their citizenship if they acquire citizenship in another state
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Macky SALL (since 2 April 2012)
head of government: Prime Minister Mohammed Abdallah Boun DIONNE (since 4 July 2014)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president
elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held on 26 February 2012 with a runoff on 25 March 2012 (next to be held in 2019); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Macky SALL elected president; percent of vote in runoff - Macky SALL (Alliance for the Republic-Yakaar) 65.8%, Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 34.2%
description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (150 seats; 90 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 60 directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held on 1 July 2012 (next to be held in 2017)
election results: National Assembly results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition 119, PDS 12, Bokk Gis Gis coalition 4, MCRN-Bes Du Nakk 4, PVD 2, MRSD 2, URD 1, AJ/PADS 1, other 5
highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of the president and 12 judges and organized into civil and commercial, criminal, administrative, and social chambers); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionelle (consists of 5 members including the court president, vice-president, and 3 judges)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges' appointed by the president of the republic upon recommendation of the Higher Council of the Judiciary, a body chaired by the president; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Council members appointed by the president to serve 6-year terms with the renewal of 2 members every 2 years
subordinate courts: High Court of Justice (for crime of high treason by the president); Courts of Appeal; Court of Auditors; assize courts (4); regional and district Courts, Labor Court
Alliance for the Republic-Yakaar or APR-Yakaar [Macky SALL]
Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP [Moustapha NIASSE]
And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS [Mamadou DIOP]
And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS-A [Landing SAVANE]
Bokk Gis Gis coalition [Pape DIOP]
Citizen Movement for National Reform or MCRN-Bes Du Nakk
Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Mamadou NDOYE]
Front for Socialism and Democracy/Benno Jubel or FSD/BJ [Cheikh Abdoulaye Bamba DIEYE]
Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]
Grand Party or GP [Malick GACKOU]
Independence and Labor Party or PIT [Magatte THIAM]
Jef-Jel [Talla SYLLA]
National Democratic Rally or RND [Madior DIOUF]
Party for Truth and Development or PVD [Cheikh Ahmadou Kara MBAKE]
People's Labor Party or PTP [El Hadji DIOUF]
Reform Party or PR [Abdourahim AGNE]
Republican Movement for Socialism and Democracy or MRSD
Rewmi Party [Idrissa SECK]
Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE]
Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]
Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]
other: Catholic clergy; labor; religious groups; students; Sufi brotherhoods, including the Mourides and Tidjanes; teachers
ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, CPLP (associate), ECOWAS, EITI (candidate country), FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission: Ambassador Babacar DIAGNE (since 18 November 2014)
embassy: 2215 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540
FAX: [1] (202) 629-2961
consulate(s) general: Houston, New York
chief of mission: Ambassador James P. ZUMWALT (since 9 January 2015); note - also accredited to Guinea-Bissau
embassy: Route des Almadies, Dakar
mailing address: B.P. 49, Dakar
telephone: [221] 33-879-4000
FAX: [221] 33-822-2991
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; green represents Islam, progress, and hope; yellow signifies natural wealth and progress; red symbolizes sacrifice and determination; the star denotes unity and hope
note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors from left to right are the same as those of neighboring Mali and the reverse of those on the flag of neighboring Guinea
lion; national colors: green, yellow, red
name: "Pincez Tous vos Koras, Frappez les Balafons" (Pluck Your Koras, Strike the Balafons)
lyrics/music: Leopold Sedar SENGHOR/Herbert PEPPER
note: adopted 1960; lyrics written by Leopold Sedar SENGHOR, Senegal's first president; the anthem sometimes played incorporating the Koras (harp-like stringed instruments) and Balafons (types of xylophones) mentioned in the title
Senegal’s economy is driven by mining, construction, tourism, fisheries and agriculture, which is the primary source of employment in rural areas. The country's key export industries include phosphate mining, fertilizer production, agricultural products a
President Macky SALL, who was elected in March 2012 under a reformist policy agenda, inherited an economy with high energy costs, a challenging business environment, and a culture of overspending. President SALL unveiled an ambitious economic plan, the Em
Senegal is receiving technical support from the IMF from 2015-2017 under a Policy Support Instrument (PSI) to assist with implementation of the ESP. The PSI implementation continues to be satisfactory as concluded by the IMF’s second review mission in Mar
The government will focus on 19 projects under the ESP for the 2016 budget to continue the structural transformation of the economy. These 19 projects include the Thies-Touba Highway, including the new airport- Mbour-Thies Highway. Senegal will increase t
$39.72 billion (2016 est.)
$37.24 billion (2015 est.)
$34.98 billion (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
$14.87 billion (2015 est.)
6.6% (2016 est.)
6.5% (2015 est.)
4.3% (2014 est.)
$2,600 (2016 est.)
$2,500 (2015 est.)
$2,400 (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
18.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
17.7% of GDP (2015 est.)
16.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
household consumption: 74.5%
government consumption: 15%
investment in fixed capital: 28.3%
investment in inventories: -0.3%
exports of goods and services: 26.5%
imports of goods and services: -44% (2016 est.)
agriculture: 15.6%
industry: 24.1%
services: 60.3% (2016 est.)
peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish
agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, zircon, and gold mining, construction materials, ship construction and repair
7.5% (2016 est.)
6.737 million (2016 est.)
agriculture: 77.5%
industry and services: 22.5% (2007 est.)
48% (2007 est.)
46.7% (2011 est.)
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 31.1% (2011)
40.3 (2011)
revenues: $3.839 billion
expenditures: $4.453 billion (2016 est.)
25.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
-4.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
55.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
54.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
calendar year
1.6% (2016 est.)
0.1% (2015 est.)
0.25% (31 December 2010)
4.25% (31 December 2009)
14.3% (31 December 2016 est.)
14.3% (31 December 2015 est.)
$4.759 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$4.264 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$7.271 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$6.549 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$5.146 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$4.868 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$NA
-$1.244 billion (2016 est.)
-$1.033 billion (2015 est.)
$2.443 billion (2016 est.)
$2.31 billion (2015 est.)
fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
Mali 12.8%, Switzerland 9.7%, India 5.9%, Cote dIvoire 5.3%, China 5.1%, UAE 4.1%, France 4.1% (2015)
$5.001 billion (2016 est.)
$4.918 billion (2015 est.)
food and beverages, capital goods, fuels
France 17.9%, China 10%, Nigeria 8.7%, India 5.6%, Spain 4.9%, Netherlands 4.5% (2015)
$2.173 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$2.012 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$6.186 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$5.735 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -
605.7 (2016 est.)
591.45 (2015 est.)
591.45 (2014 est.)
494.42 (2013 est.)
510.53 (2012 est.)
population without electricity: 6,400,000
electrification - total population: 55%
electrification - urban areas: 90%
electrification - rural areas: 28% (2013)
3.5 billion kWh (2014 est.)
3 billion kWh (2014 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
1 million kW (2014 est.)
99.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
17,240 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
16,120 bbl/day (2013 est.)
41,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
3,743 bbl/day (2013 est.)
26,560 bbl/day (2013 est.)
46 million cu m (2014 est.)
46 million cu m (2014 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
9.911 billion cu m (1 January 2012 es)
7.3 million Mt (2013 est.)
total subscriptions: 300,219
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (July 2015 est.)
total: 14.959 million
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 107 (July 2015 est.)
general assessment: good system with microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system
domestic: above-average urban system with a fiber-optic network; about two-thirds of all fixed-line connections are in Dakar where a call-center industry is emerging; expansion of fixed-line services in rural areas needed; mobile-cellular service is expanding rapid
international: country code - 221; the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic cable provides connectivity to Europe and Asia while Atlantis-2 provides connectivity to South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2015)
state-run Radiodiffusion Television Senegalaise (RTS) operates 2 TV stations; a few private TV subscription channels rebroadcast foreign channels without providing any local news or programs; RTS operates a national radio network and a number of regional (2007)
.sn
total: 3.031 million
percent of population: 21.7% (July 2015 est.)
number of registered air carriers:
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers:
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 115,355
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 3,095,523 mt-km (2015)
6V (2016)
20 (2013)
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)
total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2013)
gas 43 km; refined products 8 km (2013)
total: 906 km
narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)
total: 15,000 km
paved: 5,300 km (includes 7 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,700 km (2015)
1,000 km (primarily on the Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance Rivers) (2012)
total: 1
by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2010)
major seaport(s): Dakar
Senegalese Armed Forces: Army, Senegalese National Navy (Marine Senegalaise, MNS), Senegalese Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2013)
18 years of age for voluntary military service; 20 years of age for selective conscript service; 2-year service obligation; women have been accepted into military service since 2008 (2013)
The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem separatist violence, cross border raids, and arms smuggling into their countries from southern Senegal's Casamance region
refugees (country of origin): 13,687 (Mauritania) (2015)
IDPs: 24,000 (clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2015)
transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis
