| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 feature near Nepen
Diakha 581 m |
| Natural
resources: |
fish, phosphates,
iron ore |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
12%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 16%
forests and woodland: 54%
other: 18% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
710 sq km (1993
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, 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: |
The Gambia is
almost an enclave of Senegal |
| Population: |
10,284,929 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
44.07% (male 2,279,996; female 2,252,255)
15-64 years: 52.88% (male 2,603,829; female
2,834,328)
65 years and over: 3.05% (male 155,877; female
158,644) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.93% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
37.46
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
8.35 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0.21 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 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: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
56.75
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 62.56 years
male: 60.94 years
female: 64.22 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
5.12 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
1.77% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
79,000 (1999
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
7,800 (1999 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 92%,
indigenous beliefs 6%, Christian 2% (mostly Roman Catholic) |
| Languages: |
French
(official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 33.1%
male: 43%
female: 23.2% (1995 est.) |
| 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 |
| Administrative
divisions: |
10 regions
(regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick,
Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies,
Ziguinchor |
| Independence: |
4 April 1960
(from France); complete independence was achieved upon
dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960 |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
4 April (1960) |
| Constitution: |
3 March 1963,
revised 1991 |
| 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; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 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 seven-year term; election last held 27 February and 19
March 2000 (next to be held 27 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 NA 2006)
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; note-the judicial system was
reformed in 1992 |
| 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];
Senegalese Democratic Party-Renewal or PDS-R [Serigne Lamine
DIOP, secretary general]; Senegalese Democratic
Union-Renewal or UDS-R [Mamadou Puritain FALL]; Socialist
Party or PS [President Abdou DIOUF]; SOPI Coalition (a
40-party 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,
CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MINURSO,
MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, UPU, WADB,
WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Mamadou Mansour SECK
chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
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, 823-7384
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
- 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 in 1995-99. Annual
inflation has been pushed down to 2%, and the fiscal deficit
has been cut to less than 1.5% of GDP. 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 (UEMOA),
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, juvenile
delinquency, and drug addiction. Real GDP growth is expected
to rise above 6%, while inflation is likely to hold at 2% in
2001-02. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $16 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5.7% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $1,600 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
19%
industry: 20%
services: 61% (1997 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
1.4%
highest 10%: 42.8% (1991) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
1.5% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 60% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
NA%; urban youth
40% |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$885 million
expenditures: $885 million, including capital
expenditures of $125 million (1996 est.) |
| Industries: |
agricultural and
fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production,
petroleum refining, construction materials |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
7% (1998 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
1.27 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
1.181 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
peanuts, millet,
corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables;
cattle, poultry, pigs; fish |
| Exports: |
$959 million
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
fish, ground nuts
(peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton |
| Exports
- partners: |
France 17%, India
17%, Italy 12%, Spain 6%, Mali 6%, Cote d'Ivoire 4% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$1.3 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
foods and
beverages, consumer goods, capital goods, petroleum products |
| Imports
- partners: |
France 30%,
Nigeria 7%, Italy 6%, Thailand 5%, Germany 4%, US 4% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$4.1 billion
(1998 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$647.5 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
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 - 699.21
(January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998),
583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1966); 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 |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
116,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
1,149 (1996) |
| Telephone
system: |
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: |
AM 10, FM 14,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios: |
1.24 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
361,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.sn |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
30,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
906 km
narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-meter gauge (70 km
double track) |
| Highways: |
total:
14,576 km
paved: 4,271 km
unpaved: 10,305 km (1996) |
| Waterways: |
897 km
note: 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
- with paved runways: |
total:
10
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air
Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police (Surete
Nationale) |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 2,311,063 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 1,207,360 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
114,189 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$68 million
(FY97) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.4% (FY97) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment
point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin moving to
Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis |
|
