2008 Edition

Background

The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. 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. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) 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. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until current President Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. He was reelected in February 2007, but complaints of fraud led opposition parties to boycott June 2007 legislative polls. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping.

Area

total: 196,190 sq km land: 192,000 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

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 2.22 cu km/yr (4%/3%/93%) per capita: 190 cu m/yr (2002)

Geographic coordinates

14 00 N, 14 00 W

Geography - note

westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal

Irrigated land

1,200 sq km (2003)

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

Land use

arable land: 12.51% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 87.25% (2005)

Location

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

Map references

Africa

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

Natural hazards

lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

Natural resources

fish, phosphates, iron ore

Terrain

generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Total renewable water resources

39.4 cu km (1987)

Age structure

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 2,717,257/female 2,668,602) 15-64 years: 55.1% (male 3,524,683/female 3,552,643) 65 years and over: 3% (male 183,188/female 206,886) (2008 est.)

Birth rate

36.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

10.72 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditures

5% of GDP (2006)

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%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

3,500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

44,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 58.93 deaths/1,000 live births male: 62.79 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 57.08 years male: 55.7 years female: 58.5 years (2008 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 39.3% male: 51.1% female: 29.2% (2002 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, dengue fever, malaria, Rift Valley fever, and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Median age

total: 18.8 years male: 18.6 years female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Senegalese (singular and plural) adjective: Senegalese

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Population

12,853,259 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate

2.58% (2008 est.)

Religions

Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.86 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

name: Dakar geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 17 26 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

adopted 7 January 2001

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Marcia S. BERNICAT embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar telephone: [221] 33-829-2100

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou Lamine BA chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540

Executive branch

chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Cheikh Hadjibou SOUMARE (since 19 June 2007) 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 on 25 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdoulaye WADE reelected president in the first round of voting; percent of vote - Abdoulaye WADE 55.9%, Idrissa SECK 14.9%, Ousmane Tanor DIENG 13.6%, Moustapha NIASSE 5.9%, other 9.7%

FAX

[1] (202) 332-6315 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York

[221] 33-822-2991

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

Independence

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

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP (associate), ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (150 seats; 90 members elected by direct popular vote with the remaining members elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and the Senate reinstituted in 2007 (100 seats; 35 indirectly elected with the remaining 65 members to be appointed by the president) elections: National Assembly - last held on 3 June 2007 (next to be held 2012); note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006; legislative elections were first rescheduled to coincide with the 25 February 2007 presidential elections and later rescheduled for 3 June 2007; the June election was boycotted by 12 opposition parties, including the former ruling Socialist Party, that resulted in a record-low, 35-percent voter turnout; Senate - last held 19 August 2007 (next to be held - NA) election results: National Assembly results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SOPI Coalition 131, other 19; Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDS 34, AJ/PADS 1, 65 appointed by the president

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Political parties and leaders

African Party of Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS [Landing SAVANE]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP [Moustapha NIASSE]; Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for Socialism and Democracy/Benno Jubel or FSD/BJ [Cheikh Abdoulaye Bamba DIEYE]; Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor Party or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; Jef-Jel [Talla SYLLA]; National Democratic Rally or RND [Madior DIOUF]; People's Labor Party or PTP [Elhadji DIOUF]; Reform Party or PR [Abdourahim AGNE]; 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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

other: labor; students; Sufi brotherhoods, including the Mourides and Tidjanes; teachers

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $2.614 billion expenditures: $3.036 billion (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

NA (31 December 2007)

Currency (code)

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code

XOF

Current account balance

-$1.458 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$2.19 billion (31 December 2007)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

41.3 (2001)

Economic aid - recipient

$477 million (2007 est.)

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 1995-2007. 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. High unemployment, however, continues to prompt illegal migrants to flee Senegal in search of better job opportunities in Europe. Senegal was also beset by an energy crisis that caused widespread blackouts in 2006 and 2007. The phosphate industry has struggled for two years to secure capital, and reduced output has directly impacted GDP. In 2007, Senegal signed agreements for major new mining concessions for iron, zircon, and gold with foreign companies. Firms from Dubai have agreed to manage and modernize Dakar's maritime port, and create a new special economic zone. Senegal still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal has benefited from eradication of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector debt. In 2007, Senegal and the IMF agreed to a new, non-disbursing, Policy Support Initiative program.

Electricity - consumption

1.657 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

2.28 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Exports

$1.65 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton

Exports - partners

Mali 18.9%, France 9.1%, Italy 5.9%, India 5.7%, Gambia, The 5.2% (2007)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 16% industry: 19.4% services: 64.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.6% (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$11.12 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$21.02 billion (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 33.4% (2001)

Imports

$3.731 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

food and beverages, capital goods, fuels

Imports - partners

France 22.2%, Netherlands 10%, China 7.4%, UK 6.2%, Thailand 5.2%, Belgium 4.5% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate

5.2% (2007 est.)

Industries

agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining; iron ore, zircon, and gold mining, construction materials, ship construction and repair

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.9% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

25.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force

4.85 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 77.5% industry and services: 22.5% (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

50 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports

NA cu m

Natural gas - imports

NA cu m

Natural gas - production

50 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

NA cu m

Oil - consumption

36,200 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports

4,298 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports

40,450 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

54% (2001 est.)

Public debt

22.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.66 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$2.97 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$2.842 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$1.579 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

48% (2007 est.)

Internet country code

.sn

Internet hosts

217 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2002)

Internet users

820,000 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios

1.24 million (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: good system domestic: above-average urban system with a fiber-optic network; nearly 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 rapidly; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system 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) (2007)

Telephones - main lines in use

269,100 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular

4.123 million (2007)

Television broadcast stations

4 (2007)

Televisions

361,000 (1997)

Airports

20 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Pipelines

gas 43 km (2007)

Ports and terminals

Dakar

Railways

total: 906 km narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000 meter gauge (2006)

Roadways

total: 13,576 km paved: 3,972 km (includes 7 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,604 km (2003)

Waterways

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

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 2,943,619 females age 16-49: 2,955,179 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,866,602 females age 16-49: 1,947,076 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 141,832 female: 139,541 (2008 est.)

Military branches

Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2008)

Military expenditures

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)

Disputes - international

The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem separatist violence, cross border raids, and arms smuggling into their countries from Senegal's Casamance region, and in 2006, respectively accepted 6,000 and 10,000 Casamance residents fleeing the conflict; 2,500 Guinea-Bissau residents fled into Senegal in 2006 to escape armed confrontations along the border

IDPs

22,400 (approximately 65% of the IDP population returned in 2005, but new displacement is occurring due to clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2007)

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 19,630 (Mauritania)