Senegal

republic under multiparty democratic ruleIndependence 20 August 1960 (from France)

Senegal as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 73 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalDakar

Area196,190 km2

Populationas each edition published it

8.21 million July 1992 · 7.71m in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 3.1% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 56.01 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.2 children per woman 1992 · 6.3 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

80 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 87 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $780 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.2% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Total area

196,190km2

Comparative area: slightly smaller than South Dakota

Coastline

531km

Contiguous zone: 24 nmContinental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nmExclusive fishing zone: 200 nmTerritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

2,640km total

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

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

Climate

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

Terrain

generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Land use

arable land 27%;
permanent crops 0%;
meadows and pastures 30%;
forest and woodland 31%;
other 12%;
includes irrigated 1%

Environment

lowlands seasonally flooded;
deforestation;
overgrazing;
soil erosion;
desertification

People

14 fields

Population

8,205,058

(July 1992), growth rate 3.1% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

44Death

13Net migration

Ethnic divisions

Wolof 36%Fulani 17%Serer 17%Toucouleur 9%Diola 9%Mandingo 9%European and Lebanese 1%other 2%

Religions

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

Literacy

38%

(male 52%, female 25%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Senegalese (singular and plural); adjective - Senegalese

Languages

French (official); Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, Mandingo

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)

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

Government

Republic under multiparty democratic rule

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

73%

Abdou DIOUF (PS) 73%Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 26%other 1%

Type

republic under multiparty democratic rule

Administrative divisions

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

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

Constitution

3 March 1963, last revised in 1991

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Leaders

Chief of State:: President Abdou DIOUF (since 1 January 1981)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister Habib THIAM (since 7 April 1991)

Political parties and leaders

Socialist Party (PS), President Abdou DIOUF;
Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), Abdoulaye WADE;
13 other small uninfluential parties

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Elections

President:: last held 28 February 1988 (next to be held NA February 1993); results - Abdou DIOUF (PS) 73%, Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 26%, other 1%
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

Other political or pressure groups

students, teachers, labor, Muslim Brotherhoods

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

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

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

Economy

The agricultural sector accounts for about 20% of GDP and provides | employment for about 75% of the labor force.

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

2.0%

(1990)

Unemployment rate

3.5%

(1987)

External debt

$2.9billion

(1990)

Budget

Revenues

$921 millionExpenditures

$1,024 million

expenditures; including capital expenditures of $14 million (FY89 est.)

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.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $5.0 billion, per capita $615; real growth rate 3.6% (1990)

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

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

Electricity

215,000 kW capacity; 760 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, petroleum refining, building materials

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

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

Currency

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural - francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

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)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June; note - in January 1993, Senegal will switch to a calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Merchant marine, 2 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 1bulk 12 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 7,676 GRT/12,310 DWT

Airports, 25 total, 19 usable

permanent-surface runways

10runways | over 3,659 m

nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m

1runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

14,007Railroads

1,034Inland waterways

897

Highways: ; 3,777 km paved, 10,230 km laterite or improved earth · Railroads: ; all single track except 70 km double track Dakar to Thies · Inland waterways: ; 785 km on the Senegal, 112 km on the Saloum