Senegal

Republic of SenegalRepublique du Senegal

republic under multiparty democratic ruleIndependence 20 August 1960 (from France

Senegal as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 79 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

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

Populationas each edition published it

8.46 million July 1993 est. · 7.71m in 1990

Population growth% a year

3.1% 1993 est. · 2.4% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

56.01 years 1993 est. · 70.6 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.15 children per woman 1993 est. · 6.3 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

77.8 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 87 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$780 1991 est. · $4,500 in 2025

GDP real growth% a year

1.2% 1991 est. · 6.9% in 2025

Geography

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

14 fields

Land useshare of 196,190 km2

arable land 27%permanent crops 0%meadows and pastures 30%forest and woodland 31%other 12%irrigated 1,800 km2 (1989 est.)

Area

196,190km2

land area: 192,000 km2comparative area: slightly smaller than South Dakota

Coastline

531km

contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or the edge of continental marginexclusive economic 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

Location

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

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

International 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

Environment

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

People

14 fields

Population

8,463,225

(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 3.1% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

43.42Death

12.38Net migration

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years56.01

54.59 · 57.48

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy38%

52% · 25%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

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)

Labor force

2.509million

(77% are engaged in subsistence farming; 175,000 wage earners)by occupation: private sector 40%, government and parapublic 60%note: 52% of population of working age (1985)

Infant mortality rate

77.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Senegalese (singular and plural)
adjective:: Senegalese

Languages

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

Government

Republic under multiparty democratic rule

21 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

58.4%

Abdou DIOUF (PS) 58.4%Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 32.03%other 9.57%

Names

conventional long form:: Republic of Senegal
conventional short form:: Senegal
local long form:: Republique du Senegal
local short form:: Senegal

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 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)

Political parties and leaders

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

Other political or pressure groups

students;
teachers;
labor;
Muslim Brotherhoods

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Elections

President:: last held 21 February 1993 (next to be held NA); results - Abdou DIOUF (PS) 58.4%, Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 32.03%, other 9.57%
National Assembly:: last held 28 February 1988 (next to be held NA May 1993);
results - PS 71%, PDS 25%, other 4%;
seats - (120 total) PS 103, PDS 17

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)

Member of

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNTAC, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Ibra Deguene KA
chancery:: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: (202) 234-0540 or 0541

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Robert J. KOTT
embassy:: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Avenue Kleber, Dakar
mailing address:: 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 12% of GDP and provides | employment for about 80% of the labor force.

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$780

(1991 est.)

Real growth rate

1.2%

(1991 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 4.7% (1989); accounts for 15% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

(1990)

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 12% of GDP and provides employment for about 80% of the labor force. About 40% of the total cultivated land is used to grow peanuts, an important export crop. Another principal economic resource is fishing, which brought in about 23% of total foreign exchange earnings in 1990.

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.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $5.4 billion (1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Exports

$904 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)

commodities:: manufactures 30%, fish products 23%, peanuts 12%, petroleum products 16%, phosphates 9%
partners:: France, other EC members, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, India

Imports

$1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)

commodities:: semimanufactures 30%, food 27%, durable consumer goods 17%, petroleum 12%, capital goods 14%
partners:: France, other EC, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Algeria, China, Japan

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

major products - peanuts (cash crop), millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables;
estimated two-thirds self-sufficient in food;
fish catch of 354,000 metric tons in 1990

Illicit drugs

increasingly active as a transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Europe and North America

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

1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 274.06 (January 1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988)

Fiscal year

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

Communications

7 fields

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

total:: 25
usable:: 19
with permanent-surface runways:: 10
with runways over 3,659 m:: 0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:: 1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:: 15

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

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie, National Police

4 fields

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie, National Police

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 1,882,551;
fit for military service 983,137;
reach military age (18) annually 91,747 (1993 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $100 million, 2% of GDP (1989 est.)

Note

Serbia and Montenegro have asserted the formation of a joint independent state, but this entity has not been formally recognized as a state by the US;
the US view is that the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) has dissolved and that none of the successor republics represents its continuation

Central Intelligence Agency. “Senegal.” The World Factbook 1993. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/senegal/1993.

How to cite ← 1992 edition 1994 edition →