2000 Edition

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.

Area

land

192,000 sq km

total

196,190 sq km

water

4,190 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Dakota

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind

Coastline

531 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

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

Geographic coordinates

14 00 N, 14 00 W

Geography - note

The Gambia is almost an enclave of Senegal

Irrigated land

710 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km

total

2,640 km

Land use

arable land

12%

forests and woodland

54%

other

18% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

0%

permanent pastures

16%

Location

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

Map references

Africa

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

Natural hazards

lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

Natural resources

fish, phosphates, iron ore

Terrain

generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Age structure

0-14 years: 45% (male 2,237,678; female 2,213,632) 15-64 years: 52% (male 2,501,649; female 2,729,412) 65 years and over: 3% (male 152,236; female 152,887) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

37.94 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

8.57 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

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%

Infant mortality rate

58.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

63.82 years (2000 est.)

male

60.6 years

total population

62.19 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

23.2% (1995 est.)

male

43%

total population

33.1%

Nationality

adjective

Senegalese

noun

Senegalese (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

9,987,494 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

2.94% (2000 est.)

Religions

Muslim 92%, indigenous beliefs 6%, Christian 2% (mostly Roman Catholic)

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: 1 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.21 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Dakar

Constitution

3 March 1963, revised 1991

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Senegal

conventional short form

Senegal

local long form

Republique du Senegal

local short form

Senegal

Data code

SG

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Harriet L. ELAM-THOMAS

embassy

Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Avenue Kleber, Dakar

mailing address

B. P. 49, Dakar

telephone

823-4296, 823-7384

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Mamadou Mansour SECK

telephone

(202) 234-0540

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president

chief of state

President Abdoulaye WADE (since NA 2000)

election results

Abdoulaye WADE elected president; percent of vote in the second round of voting - Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) NA%, Abdou DIOUF (PS) NA%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 27 February 2000 (next to be held 27 February 2007); prime minister appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Niasse MOUSTAPHA (since NA 2000)

FAX

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

Government type

republic under multiparty democratic rule

Independence

4 April 1960 from France; complete independence was achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960 (The Gambia and Senegal signed an agreement on 12 December 1981 (constituted 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)

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, MIPONUH, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

under the terms of a reform of the judicial system implemented in 1992, the principal organs of the judiciary are as

follows

Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals

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; Senegal has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (140 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - PS 50%, PDS 19%, UDS-R 13%, And Jef 5%, LD-MPT 4%, CDP 2%, FSD 1%, PDS-R 1%, RND 1%, BGC 1%, PIT 1%, other 2%; seats by party - PS 93, PDS 23, UDS-R 11, And Jef 4, LD-MPT 3, CDP 1, FSD 1, PDS-R 1, RND 1, BGC 1, PIT 1

elections

last held 24 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2003)

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

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 ; Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP (also known as Garab-Gi) ; Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT ; Front for Socialism and Democracy or FSD ; Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor Party or PIT ; National Democratic Rally or RND ; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS ; Senegalese Democratic Party-Renewal or PDS-R ; Senegalese Democratic Union-Renewal or UDS-R ; Socialist Party or PS ; Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]; other small parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

labor; Muslim brotherhoods; students; teachers

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish

Budget

expenditures

$885 million, including capital expenditures of $125 million (1996 est.)

revenues

$885 million

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Debt - external

$3.4 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$647.5 million (1995)

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 2000-2001.

Electricity - consumption

1.116 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

1.2 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25 (January 2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1966), 499.15 (1995)

note

since 1 January 1999, the CFAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro

Exports

$925 million (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports - commodities

fish, ground nuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton

Exports - partners

France 22%, Italy, India, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali (1998)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $16.6 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

19%

industry

20%

services

61% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,650 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 42.8% (1991)

Imports

$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports - commodities

foods and beverages, consumer goods, capital goods, petroleum products

Imports - partners

France 36%, other EU countries, Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Algeria, US, China, Japan (1998)

Industrial production growth rate

7% (1998 est.)

Industries

agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, construction materials

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2% (1999 est.)

Labor force

NA

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 60%

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

NA%; urban youth 40%

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

4 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 10, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

1.24 million (1997)

Telephone 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)

Telephones - main lines in use

82,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

122 (1995)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1997)

Televisions

361,000 (1997)

Airports

20 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

10 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

4,271 km

total

14,576 km

unpaved

10,305 km (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors

Dakar, Kaolack, Matam, Podor, Richard Toll, Saint-Louis, Ziguinchor

Railways

narrow gauge

906 km 1.000-meter gauge (70 km double track)

total

906 km

Waterways

897 km total; 785 km on the Senegal river, and 112 km on the Saloum river

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police (Surete Nationale)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$68 million (FY97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (FY97)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 2,218,920 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 1,158,893 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

109,381 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

short section of boundary with The Gambia is indefinite

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis

SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO