Senegal

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

agricultural land:

46.8%;

• arable land 17.4%;
• permanent crops 0.3%;
• permanent pasture 29.1%

forest:

43.8%

other:

9.4% (2011 est.)

• wildlife populations threatened by poaching;
• deforestation;
• overgrazing;
• soil erosion;
• desertification;
• overfishing

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

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

noun:

Senegalese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Senegalese

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.85 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.76 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.82 male(s)/female

total population:

0.94 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and dengue fever

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

respiratory disease:

meningococcal meningitis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2016)

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

etymology:

• named for the Senegal River that forms the northern border of the country;
• many theories exist for the origin of the river name;
• perhaps the most widely cited derives the name from "Azenegue," the Portuguese appellation for the Berber Zenaga people who lived north of the river

name:

Dakar

geographic coordinates:

14 44 N, 17 38 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

history:

previous 1959 (preindependence), 1963; latest adopted by referendum 7 January 2001, promulgated 22 January 2001

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic, by the prime minister through the president, or by the National Assembly;
• passage requires Assembly approval and approval in a referendum;
• the president can bypass a referendum and submit an amendment directly to the Assembly, which requires at least three-fifths majority vote;
• the republican form of government is not amendable;
• amended several times, last in 2016 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Senegal

dual citizenship recognized:

no, but Senegalese citizens do not automatically lose their citizenship if they acquire citizenship in another state

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Macky SALL (since 2 April 2012)

head of government:

Prime Minister Mohammed Abdallah Boun DIONNE (since 4 July 2014)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term);
• election last held on 26 February 2012 with a runoff on 25 March 2012 (next to be held in 2019);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

Macky SALL elected president in second round; percent of vote - Macky SALL (APR) 65.8%, Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 34.2%

description:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (165 seats; 105 members including 15 representing Senegalese diaspora directly elected by plurality vote in single- and multi-seat constituencies and 60 members directly elected by proportional representation vote in single- and multi-seat constituencies)

elections:

National Assembly - last held on 2 July 2017 (next to be held in July 2022)

election results:

• National Assembly results - percent of vote by party/coalition - BBK 49.5%, CGWS 16.7%, MTS 11.7%, PUR 4.7%, CP-Kaddu Askan Wi 2%, other 15.4%;
• seats by party/coalition - BBY 125, CGWS 19, MTS 7, PUR 3, CP-Kaddu Askan Wi 2, other 9

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of the president and 12 judges and organized into civil and commercial, criminal, administrative, and social chambers);
• Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionel (consists of 7 members including the court president, vice president, and 5 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges' appointed by the president of the republic upon recommendation of the Higher Council of the Judiciary, a body chaired by the president;
• judge tenure NA;
• Constitutional Council members appointed - 5 by the president and 2 by the National Assembly speaker to serve 6-year terms with the renewal of 2 members every 2 years

subordinate courts:

• High Court of Justice (for crimes of high treason by the president);
• Courts of Appeal;
• Court of Auditors;
• assize courts;
• regional and district courts;
• Labor Court;
• note - in early 2013, the Extraordinary African Chambers were established by agreement of the African Union and the Government of Senegal to try cases of high-level officials involved in crimes committed in Chad during the period 1982-1990

• Alliance for the Republic-Yakaar or APR-Yakaar [Macky SALL]
• Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP [Moustapha NIASSE]
• And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS [Mamadou DIOP Decriox]
• And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS-A [Landing SAVANE]
• Benno Bokk Yakaar or BBY (United in Hope) [Macky SALL] (coalition includes AFP, APR, LD-MPT, PIT, PS, UNP)
• Bokk Gis Gis coalition [Pape DIOP]
• Citizen Movement for National Reform or MCRN-Bes Du Nakk [Mansour Sy DJAMIL]
• Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Mamadou NDOYE]
• Front for Socialism and Democracy/Benno Jubel or FSD/BJ [Cheikh Abdoulaye Bamba DIEYE]
• Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]
• Grand Party or GP [Malick GAKOU]
• Independence and Labor Party or PIT [Magatte THIAM]
• Manko Taxawu Senegaal or MTS [Khalifa SALL] (coalition includes BGC, Du Nakk, FSD/BJ, GP, MCRN/Bes, Rewmi)
• National Union for the People or UNP [Souleymane Ndene NDIAYE]
• Party for Truth and Development or PVD [Cheikh Ahmadou Kara MBAKE]
• Party of Unity and Rally or PUR [El Hadji SALL]
• Patriotic Convergence Kaddu Askan Wi or CP-Kaddu Askan Wi [Abdoulaye BALDE]
• Reform Party or PR [Abdourahim AGNE]
• Rewmi Party [Idrissa SECK]
• Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE]
• Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]
• Tekki Movement [Mamadou Lamine DIALLO]
• Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]
• Winning Coalition Wattu Senegal or CGWS [Abdoulaye WADE] (includes AJ/PADS, AJ/PADS-A, Bokk Gis Gis, PDS, Tekki Movement)

• Catholic clergy;
• labor;
• religious groups;
• students;
• Sufi brotherhoods, including the Mourides and Tidjanes;
• teachers

chief of mission:

Ambassador Babacar DIAGNE (since 18 November 2014)

chancery:

2215 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 234-0540

FAX:

[1] (202) 629-2961

consulate(s) general:

Houston, New York

chief of mission:

ambassador Tulinabo S. MUSHINGI (since August 2017); note - also accredited to Guinea-Bissau

embassy:

Route des Almadies, Dakar

mailing address:

B.P. 49, Dakar

telephone:

[221] 33-879-4000

FAX:

[221] 33-822-2991

• three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band;
• green represents Islam, progress, and hope;
• yellow signifies natural wealth and progress;
• red symbolizes sacrifice and determination;
• the star denotes unity and hope

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors from left to right are the same as those of neighboring Mali and the reverse of those on the flag of neighboring Guinea

name:

"Pincez Tous vos Koras, Frappez les Balafons" (Pluck Your Koras, Strike the Balafons)

lyrics/music:

Leopold Sedar SENGHOR/Herbert PEPPER

note: adopted 1960; lyrics written by Leopold Sedar SENGHOR, Senegal's first president; the anthem sometimes played incorporating the Koras (harp-like stringed instruments) and Balafons (types of xylophones) mentioned in the title

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

agriculture:

77.5%

industry and services:

22.5% (2007 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.5%

highest 10%:

31.1% (2011)

general assessment:

good system with microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system

domestic:

• generally reliable urban system with a fiber-optic network;
• about two-thirds of all fixed-line connections are in Dakar;
• mobile-cellular service is steadily displacing fixed-line service, even in urban areas

international:

• country code - 221;
• the ACE fiber-optic cable connects Senegal to Europe, the SAT-3/WASC provides fiber-optic connectivity to Europe and Asia, and Atlantis-2 provides connectivity to South America;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2017)

• state-run Radiodiffusion Television Senegalaise (RTS) broadcasts TV programs from five cities in Senegal;
• in most regions of the country, viewers can receive TV programming from at least 7 private broadcasters;
• a wide range of independent TV programming is available via satellite;
• RTS operates a national radio network and a number of regional FM stations;
• at least 7 community radio stations and 18 private-broadcast radio stations are available;
• transmissions of at least 5 international broadcasters are accessible on FM in Dakar (2017)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

115,355

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

3,095,523 mt-km (2015)

total:

906 km (713 km operational in 2017)

narrow gauge:

906 km 1.000-m gauge (2017)

country comparison to the world: 93

total:

16,496 km

paved:

5,957 km (includes 72 km of expressways)

unpaved:

10,539 km (2017)

country comparison to the world: 124

total:

9

by type:

passenger 7, cargo 2

note: excludes numerous oceangoing pirogues operating in Senegal's coastal waters and rivers (2017)

country comparison to the world: 119

• 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
• 20 years of age for selective conscript service;
• 2-year service obligation;
• women have been accepted into military service since 2008 (2013)

• cross-border trafficking in persons, timber, wildlife, and cannabis;
• rebels from the Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance find refuge in Guinea-Bissau

refugees (country of origin):

13,683 (Mauritania) (2017)

IDPs:

24,000 (clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2016)