Introduction

 

Background: Independent from France in 1960, Senegal was ruled by the Socialist Party for forty years until current President Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982, but the envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. A southern separatist group sporadically has clashed with government forces since 1982, but Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping.

 

Geography

 

Location:

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

 

Geographic coordinates:14 00 N, 14 00 W

 

Map references:  Africa

 

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

 

Coastline: 531 km

 

Maritime claims:

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

 

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: 12.51%

permanent crops: 0.24%

other: 87.25% (2005)

 

Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (2003)

 

 

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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

 

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

 

People

 

Population: 11,987,121 (July 2006 est.)

 

Age structure:

0-14 years: 40.8% (male 2,467,021/female 2,422,385) 15-64 years: 56.1% (male 3,346,756/female 3,378,518) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 174,399/female 198,042) (2006 est.)

 

Median age:

total: 19.1 years

male: 18.9 years

female: 19.3 years (2006 est.)

 

Population growth rate: 2.34% (2006 est.)

 

Birth rate: 32.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

 

Death rate: 9.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

 

Net migration rate:       0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

 

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate:

total: 52.94 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 56.49 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 49.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 59.25 years

male: 57.7 years

female: 60.85 years (2006 est.)

 

Total fertility rate:          4.38 children born/woman (2006 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:  0.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:        44,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:        3,500 (2003 est.)

 

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and Rift Valley fever are high risks in some locations

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)

 

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

 

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

 

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 40.2% male: 50% female: 30.7% (2003 est.)

 

Government

 

Country name:

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

 

Government type:         republic

Capital:

name: Dakar

geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 17 26 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

 

Administrative divisions:

11 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor

 

Independence: 4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence was achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960

 

National holiday:            Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Constitution: new constitution 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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

 

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

 

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000)

head of government: Prime Minister Macky SALL (since 21 April 2004)

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 (eligible for a second term) under new constitution; election last held under prior constitution (seven-year terms) 27 February and 19 March 2000 (next to be held 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 in February 2007) note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006, they will now coincide with presidential elections in 2007

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

 

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 [Abdoulaye WADE] (a coalition led by the PDS); 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, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO.

 

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 was 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 over 5% annually during 1995-2004. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with a unified external tariff and a more stable monetary policy. However, Senegal still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal will benefit from eradication of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector debt.

 

GDP (purchasing power parity): $20.53 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):         $7.972 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 6.1% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 17.2%

industry: 20.9%

services: 61.9% (2005 est.)

 

Labor force: 4.82 million (2005 est.)

 

Labor force - by occupation:          

agriculture: 77%

industry and services: 23% (1990 est.)

 

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

 

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

 

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.6%

highest 10%: 33.5% (1995)

 

Distribution of family income - Gini index:   41.3 (1995)

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (2005 est.)

 

Investment (gross fixed): 20.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

 

Budget:

revenues: $1.657 billion

expenditures: $1.926 billion; including capital expenditures of $357 million (2005 est.)

 

Public debt: 46% of GDP (2005 est.)

 

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

 

Industries: agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, construction materials, ship construction and repair

 

Industrial production growth rate: 3.1% (2005 est.)

 

Electricity - production:    1.332 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:                1.239 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:     0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:     0 kWh (2003)

 

Oil - production:             0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:         31,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:                   NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:                   NA bbl/day

 

Natural gas - production: 50 million cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:             50 million cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:  0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:  0 cu m (2001 est.)

 

Current account balance:                $848 million (2005 est.)

 

Exports: $1.526 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities: fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton

Exports - partners:       Mali 16.9%, India 13.1%, France 9.5%, Spain 6.1%, Italy 5.5%, Gambia, The 4.6% (2005)

 

Imports: $2.405 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities: food and beverages, capital goods, fuels

Imports - partners:       France 22.8%, Nigeria 11.4%, Brazil 4.5%, Thailand 4.3%, US 4.2%, UK 4% (2005)

 

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.191 billion (2005 est.)

 

Debt - external: $3.529 billion (2005 est.)

 

Economic aid - recipient: $449.6 million (2003 est.)

 

Currency (code): 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 - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)

 

Fiscal year: calendar year

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use: 266,600 (2005)

 

Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,121,300 (2004)

 

Telephone system:      

general assessment: good system

domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system

international: country code - 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)

 

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)

 

Internet country code: .sn

Internet hosts: 569 (2005)

Internet users: 482,000 (2005)

 

Transportation

 

Airports: 20 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 9

over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Pipelines: gas 564 km (2004)

Railways:

total: 906 km

narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000 meter gauge (2005)

 

Roadways:

total: 13,576 km

paved: 3,972 km (including 7 km of expressways)

unpaved: 9,604 km (2003)

 

Waterways: 1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2005)

 

Ports and terminals:    Dakar

 

Military

 

Military branches:         Army, Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Air Force (2005)

Military service age and obligation:              18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 18-49: 2,443,840

females age 18-49: 2,461,939 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 18-49: 1,558,175

females age 18-49: 1,642,533 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:

males age 18-49: 129,331

females age 18-49: 129,398 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:             $117.3 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (2005 est.)

 

Transnational Issues

 

Disputes - international: The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem Senegalese citizens from the Casamance region fleeing separatist violence, cross border raids, and arms smuggling

 

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 19,778 (Mauritania) IDPs: 17,000 (clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2005)

 

Illicit drugs: trans-shipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis.