1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (December to April) has strong southeast winds; dry season (May to November) dominated by hot, dry harmattan wind
Coastline
531 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than South Dakota
Contiguous zone
24 nm
Continental shelf
edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Disputes
short section of the boundary with The Gambia is indefinite; the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 12 November 1991 rendered its decision on the Guinea-Bissau/ Senegal maritime boundary in favor of Senegal - that decision has been rejected by Guinea-Bissau; boundary with Mauritania
Environment
lowlands seasonally flooded; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Exclusive fishing zone
200 nm
Land area
192,000 km2
Land boundaries
2,640 km total; The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Land use
arable land 27%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 30%; forest and woodland 31%; other 12%; includes irrigated 1%
Natural resources
fish, phosphates, iron ore
Note
The Gambia is almost an enclave
Terrain
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
196,190 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
44 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
13 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Wolof 36%, Fulani 17%, Serer 17%, Toucouleur 9%, Diola 9%, Mandingo 9%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 2%
Infant mortality rate
80 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
2,509,000; 77% subsistence agricultural workers; 175,000 wage earners - private sector 40%, government and parapublic 60%; 52% of population of working age (1985)
Languages
French (official); Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, Mandingo
Life expectancy at birth
54 years male, 57 years female (1992)
Literacy
38% (male 52%, female 25%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Senegalese (singular and plural); adjective - Senegalese
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
majority of wage-labor force represented by unions; however, dues-paying membership very limited; major confederation is National Confederation of Senegalese Labor (CNTS), an affiliate of the governing party
Population
8,205,058 (July 1992), growth rate 3.1% (1992)
Religions
Muslim 92%, indigenous beliefs 6%, Christian 2% (mostly Roman Catholic)
Total fertility rate
6.2 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
10 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor
Capital
Dakar
Chief of State
President Abdou DIOUF (since 1 January 1981)
Constitution
3 March 1963, last revised in 1991
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Ibra Deguene KA; Chancery at 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-0540 or 0541 US: Ambassador Katherine SHIRLEY; Embassy on Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Avenue Kleber, Dakar (mailing address is B. P. 49, Dakar); telephone [221] 23-42-96 or 23-34-24; FAX [221] 22-29-91
Executive branch
president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
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
Head of Government
Prime Minister Habib THIAM (since 7 April 1991)
Independence
20 August 1960 (from France); The Gambia and Senegal signed an agreement on 12 December 1981 (effective 1 February 1982) that called for the creation of a loose confederation to be known as Senegambia, but the agreement was dissolved on 30 September 1989
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Legal system
based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court, which also audits the government's accounting office; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Long-form name
Republic of Senegal
Member of
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National Assembly
last held 28 February 1988 (next to be held NA February 1993); results - PS 71%, PDS 25%, other 4%; seats - (120 total) PS 103, PDS 17
National holiday
Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
Other political or pressure groups
students, teachers, labor, Muslim Brotherhoods
Political parties and leaders
Socialist Party (PS), President Abdou DIOUF; Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), Abdoulaye WADE; 13 other small uninfluential parties
President
last held 28 February 1988 (next to be held NA February 1993); results - Abdou DIOUF (PS) 73%, Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 26%, other 1%
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic under multiparty democratic rule
Economy
Agriculture
including fishing, accounts for 20% of GDP and more than 75% of labor force; major products - peanuts (cash crop), millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; estimated two-thirds self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 299,000 metric tons in 1987
Budget
revenues $921 million; expenditures $1,024 million; including capital expenditures of $14 million (FY89 est.)
Currency
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural - francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $551 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $5.23 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $589 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $295 million
Electricity
215,000 kW capacity; 760 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 269.01 (January 1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987)
Exports
$814 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.) commodities: manufactures 30%, fish products 27%, peanuts 11%, petroleum products 11%, phosphates 10% partners: France, other EC members, Mali, Ivory Coast, India
External debt
$2.9 billion (1990)
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June; note - in January 1993, Senegal will switch to a calendar year
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $5.0 billion, per capita $615; real growth rate 3.6% (1990)
Imports
$1.05 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.) commodities: semimanufactures 30%, food 27%, durable consumer goods 17%, petroleum 12%, capital goods 14% partners: France, other EC, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Algeria, China, Japan
Industrial production
growth rate 4.7% (1989); accounts for 15% of GDP
Industries
agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, petroleum refining, building materials
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.0% (1990)
Overview
The agricultural sector accounts for about 20% of GDP and provides employment for about 75% of the labor force. About 40% of the total cultivated land is used to grow peanuts, an important export crop. The principal economic resource is fishing, which brought in about $200 million or about 25% of total foreign exchange earnings in 1987. Mining is dominated by the extraction of phosphate, but production has faltered because of reduced worldwide demand for fertilizers in recent years. Over the past 10 years tourism has become increasingly important to the economy.
Unemployment rate
3.5% (1987)
Communications
Airports
25 total, 19 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
3 major transport aircraft
Highways
14,007 km total; 3,777 km paved, 10,230 km laterite or improved earth
Inland waterways
897 km total; 785 km on the Senegal, 112 km on the Saloum
Merchant marine
2 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 7,676 GRT/12,310 DWT; includes 1 cargo, 1 bulk
Ports
Dakar, Kaolack, Foundiougne, Ziguinchor
Railroads
1,034 km 1.000-meter gauge; all single track except 70 km double track Dakar to Thies
Telecommunications
above-average urban system, using microwave and cable; broadcast stations - 8 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 3 submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie, National Police
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $100 million, 2% of GDP (1989 est.)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 1,814,452; 947,723 fit for military service; 88,271 reach military age (18) annually