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Senegal at a glance        0  1178 reads

Geography
Area: 196,840 sq. km. (76,000 sq. mi.), about the size of South Dakota.
Cities: Capital--Dakar. Other cities--Diourbel, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Rufisque, Saint-Louis, Thies, Tambacounda, Ziguinchor, Fatick, Matam, Kedougou, Sedhiou.
Terrain: Flat or rising to foothills.
Climate: Tropical/Sahelian--desert or grasslands in the north, heavier vegetation in the south and southeast.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Senegalese (sing. and pl.).
Population (2008 est.): 12,853,259.
Annual growth rate: 2%.
Ethnic groups: Wolof 43%; Fulani (Peulh) and Toucouleur 23%; Serer 15%; Diola, Mandingo, and others 19%.
Religions: Muslim 95%, Christian 4%, traditional 1%.
Languages: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Serer, Diola, Mandingo, Soninke.
Education: Attendance--primary 75.8%, middle school 26.5%, secondary 11% (estimated). Literacy--59.1%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--60.15/1,000. Life expectancy--56.69 yrs.
Work force (4.0 million): Agriculture--70% (subsistence or cash crops).
Wage earners (350,000): private sector 61%, government and parapublic 39%.

Government
Type: Republic.
Independence: April 4, 1960.
Constitution: March 3, 1963.
Branches: Executive--President (chief of state, commander in chief of armed forces). Legislative--bicameral parliament with a 150 member National Assembly and a 100 member Senate. Judicial--Constitutional Council (appointed by the president from senior magistrates and eminent academics and attorneys), Court of Final Appeals, Council of State.
Administrative subdivisions: 14 regions, 34 departments, 320 rural councils.
Political parties: 73 political parties are registered, the most important of which are the Democratic Party of Senegal (PDS), Rewmi, Socialist Party (PS), the Alliance of Forces for Progress (AFP), "AND JEF/PADS", the Union for Democratic Renewal (URD), "JEF JEL", the National Democratic Rally (RND), the Independence and Labor Party (PIT), and the Alliance for the Republic-Yakaar.
Suffrage: Universal adult, over 18.
Central government budget (2009): Revenues--$2.89 billion; expenditures--$3.86 billion.
Defense (2007): $133 million. National holiday: April 4, Independence Day.

Economy
GDP (2008): $13.9 billion.
Real annual growth rate (2009): 1.25%.
Per capita GDP (2008): $1,800 (purchasing power parity).
Inflation rate (consumer prices, 2009): -0.9%.
Natural resources: Fish, peanuts, phosphate, iron ore, gold, titanium, oil and gas, cotton. Agriculture represents 12.4% of GDP. Products--fish, peanuts, millet, sorghum, manioc, rice, cotton, vegetables, flowers, fruit, livestock, forestry.
Industry: 19.8% of GDP, of which manufacturing and construction compromise 16.3% and energy/mining represent 3.5%. Types--fish and agricultural product processing; light manufacturing; mining; and construction.
Services: 55.6% of GDP, of which transport, warehousing, and communications represent 13.4% of GDP and trade 16.6% of GDP.
Trade (2008): Exports--$2.05 billion: fish products, peanuts, phosphates, cotton. Major markets--Mali 19.6%, India 7.2%, France 5.5%, The Gambia 5.4%, Italy 4.9%, U.S. 0.5%.
Imports--$4.26 billion: food, consumer goods, petroleum, machinery, transport equipment, petroleum products, computer equipment. Major suppliers--France 19.7%, U.K. 15.2%, China 6.7%, Belgium 4.6%, Thailand 4.4%, Netherlands 4.1%, U.S. 2%.
Exchange rate: African Financial Community franc (CFA) is fixed to the euro. 656 CFA = 1 euro. 438 CFA = U.S. $1.
Economic aid: The United States provided about $85.1 million in assistance to Senegal in fiscal year 2009, including $2.1 million for peace and security, $2.4 million for governing justly and democratically, $49.2 million for investing in people, and $31.4 million for economic growth.

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.

SOURCES
All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008

ALTERNATIVE NAMES
Senegal, Republic of Senegal, Republique du Senegal

Identification
15 character
 Senegal
30 character
 Senegal
Country name Senegal
ountry name > Conventional long form Republic of Senegal
Country name > Conventional short form Senegal
Country name > Former
 Senegambia (along with The Gambia), Mali Federation
Country name > Local long form Republique du Senegal
Country name > Local short form Senegal
ISO code 686
ISO long SEN
ISO short SN
Native names Sénégal
Oceanographic code SE
Translation > Catalan
 Senegal
Translation > French S�n�gal
Translation > German
 Senegal
Translation > Italian
 Senegal
Translation > Portugese
 Senegal
Translation > Spanish
 Senegal
UN code 686


 

SOURCES
CIA World Factbook, 28 July 2005; All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008; Microsoft.com; Wkipedia; IOC country codes

ALTERNATIVE NAMES
Senegal, Republic of Senegal, Republique du Senegal

 

 

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Senegal at a glance
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