Senegal

Republic of SenegalRepublique du Senegal

republic under multiparty democratic ruleIndependence 4 April 1960 from France

Senegal as the 2000 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 108 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

Position14 00 N, 14 00 W

Area196,190 sq km

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

Populationas each edition published it

9.99 million July 2000 est. · 7.71m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.94% 2000 est. · 3.1% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

62.19 years 2000 est. · 56.01 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

5.21 children per woman 2000 est. · 6.3 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

58.08 deaths per 1,000 live births 2000 est. · 87 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,650 1999 est. · $780 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

5% 1999 est. · 1.2% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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.

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 196,190 sq km

arable land 12%permanent crops 0%permanent pastures 16%forests and woodland 54%other 18% (1993 est.)irrigated 710 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

196,190sq km

land: 192,000 sq kmwater: 4,190 sq kmslightly smaller than South Dakota

Coastline

531km

contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

581m

unnamed feature near Nepen Diakhalowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Land boundaries

2,640km

border countries: 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

Geographic coordinates

14 00 N, 14 00 W

Map references

Africa

Climate

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

Terrain

generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Natural resources

fish, phosphates, iron ore

Natural hazards

lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

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

Geography - note

The Gambia is almost an enclave of Senegal

People

15 fields

Population

9,987,494

(July 2000 est.)growth rate: 2.94% (2000 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2000 est.)

Birth

37.94Death

8.57Net migration

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2000 est.)62.19

60.6 · 63.82

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)33.1%

43% · 23.2%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

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%

Religions

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

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.)

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.)

Infant mortality rate

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

Total fertility rate

5.21 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality

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

Languages

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

Government

Republic under multiparty democratic rule; President Abdoulaye WADE (since NA 2000); Prime Minister Niasse MOUSTAPHA (since NA 2000)

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

50%

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

National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale, 140 seats, elected 24 May 1998one dot, one seat

PS 93PDS 23UDS-R 11And Jef 4LD-MPT 3CDP 1FSD 1PDS-R 1RND 1BGC 1PIT 1

Percent of vote

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%

Country name

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

Data code

Government type

republic under multiparty democratic rule

Capital

Dakar

Administrative divisions

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

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)

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Constitution

3 March 1963, revised 1991

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Abdoulaye WADE (since NA 2000)
head of government:: Prime Minister Niasse MOUSTAPHA (since NA 2000)
cabinet:: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president
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
election results:: Abdoulaye WADE elected president; percent of vote in the second round of voting - Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) NA%, Abdou DIOUF (PS) NA%

Legislative branch

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

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

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

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 [Majhemout DIOP];
Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP (also known as Garab-Gi) [Dr. Iba Der THIAM];
Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY];
Front for Socialism and Democracy or FSD [Cheikh Abdoulaye DIEYE];
Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS];
Independence and Labor Party or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO];
National Democratic Rally or RND [Madier DIOUF];
Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE];
Senegalese Democratic Party-Renewal or PDS-R [Serigne Lamine DIOP, secretary general];
Senegalese Democratic Union-Renewal or UDS-R [Mamadou Puritain FALL];
Socialist Party or PS [President Abdou DIOUF];
Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA];
other small parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

labor;
Muslim brotherhoods;
students;
teachers

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

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

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:: [221] 823-4296, 823-7384
FAX:: [221] 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

Economy

In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic reform program with the support of the international donor community.

31 fields

Real growth rate

(1999 est.)industrial production growth: 7% (1998 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

(1999 est.)

Debt - external

$3.4billion

(1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(1997 est.)

agriculture 19%industry 20%services 61% (1997 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$885 millionExpenditures

$885 million (1996 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $125 million

Electricity

fossil fuel 100%hydro 0% · nuclear 0% · other 0%

Electricity production

1.2 billion (1998)Electricity consumption

1.116 billion (1998)

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.

GDP

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

GDP - per capita

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

Population below poverty line

NA%

Labor force

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 60%

Unemployment rate

NA%; urban youth 40%

Industries

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

Agriculture - products

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

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)

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)

Economic aid - recipient

$647.5 million (1995)

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

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

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

122

(1995)

Internet users

(1999)

Fixed lines

82,000

(1995)

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)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 10, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

1.24 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1997)

Televisions

361,000 (1997)

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

over 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

Paved 10Unpaved 10

Networkskm

Highways

14,576Railways

906Waterways

897

Highways: paved: 4,271 km · unpaved: 10,305 km (1996 est.) · Railways: narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-meter gauge (70 km double track) · Waterways: ; 785 km on the Senegal river, and 112 km on the Saloum river

Railways

total:: 906 km
narrow gauge:: 906 km 1.000-meter gauge (70 km double track)

Highways

total:: 14,576 km
paved:: 4,271 km
unpaved:: 10,305 km (1996 est.)

Military

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

7 fields

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4%

(FY97)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

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 [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]

Central Intelligence Agency. “Senegal.” The World Factbook 2000. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/senegal/2000.

How to cite ← 1999 edition 2001 edition →