Senegal Population: 13,300,410
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| 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. 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 and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL. |
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| Geography | |
| Westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal | |
| Location: | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania |
| Geographic coordinates: | 14 00 N, 14 00 W |
| Area: | total: 196,722 sq km land: 192,530 sq km water: 4,192 sq km Size comparison: slightly smaller than South Dakota |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 2,640 km border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km |
| Coastline: | 531 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| 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 |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed elevation southwest of Kedougou 581 m |
| Natural resources: | fish, phosphates, iron ore |
| Land use: | arable land: 12.51% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 87.25% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 1,200 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts |
| Current Environment Issues: | wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing |
| International Environment Agreements: | 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 |
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| People | |
| Population: | 13,300,410 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 2,855,431/female 2,828,107) 15-24 years: 20.5% (male 1,357,979/female 1,372,107) 25-54 years: 30.1% (male 1,825,507/female 2,182,110) 55-64 years: 3.7% (male 218,512/female 277,047) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 174,946/female 208,664) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 18.2 years male: 17.3 years female: 19 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.532% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 36.19 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 9.05 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -1.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 55.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.57 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 60.18 years male: 58.22 years female: 62.19 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 4.61 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.9% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 59,000 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 2,600 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Senegalese (singular and plural) adjective: Senegalese |
| 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 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1% |
| Languages: | French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 39.3% male: 51.1% female: 29.2% (2002 est.) |
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| Government | |
| Country name: | 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 |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | name: Dakar geographic coordinates: 14 44 N, 17 38 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 14 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaffrine, Kaolack, Kedougou, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Sedhiou, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor |
| Independence: | 4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960 |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 4 April (1960) |
| Constitution: | adopted 7 January 2001; amended many times |
| Legal system: | civil law system based on French law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Macky SALL (since 2 April 2012) head of government: Prime Minister Abdoul MBAYE (since 3 April 2012) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 26 February 2012 with a second round runoff on 25 March 2012; prime minister appointed by the president election results: Macky SALL elected president; percent of votes in a runoff - Macky SALL 65.8%, Abdoulaye WADE 34.2% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (150 seats; 90 members elected by direct popular vote and 60 elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held on 1 July 2012 (next to be held in 2017) election results: National Assembly results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition 119, PDS 12, Bokk Giss Giss coalition 4, MCRN-Bes Du Nakk 4, PVD 2, MRDS 2, URD 1, AJ/PADS 1, other 5 |
| Judicial branch: | Constitutional Council; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals |
| Political parties and leaders: | African Party of Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; Alliance for the Republic-Yakaar [Macky SALL]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP [Moustapha NIASSE]; And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS [Landing SAVANE]; Benno Bokk Yakaar coaltion [Macky SALL]; Benno Siggil Senegal (a coalition of opposition parties); Bokk Giss Giss coalition [Pape DIOP]; Citizen Movement for National Reform or MCRN-Bes Du Nakk; Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for Socialism and Democracy/Benno Jubel or FSD/BJ [Cheikh Abdoulaye Bamba DIEYE]; Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor Party or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; Jef-Jel [Talla SYLLA]; National Democratic Rally or RND [Madior DIOUF]; Party for Truth and Development or PVD [Ahmadou Kara MBACKE]; People's Labor Party or PTP [El Hadji DIOUF]; Reform Party or PR [Abdourahim AGNE]; Republican Movement for Socialism and Democracy or MRDS; Rewmi Party [Idrissa SECK]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE]; Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]; SOPI Coalition [Abdoulaye WADE] (a coalition led by the PDS); Synergy for Ethics and Transparency [Aminata TALL]; Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | other: labor; students; Sufi brotherhoods, including the Mourides and Tidjanes; teachers |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, CPLP (associate), ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Cheikh NIANG chancery: 2031 Florida Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Lewis LUKENS embassy: Route des Almadies, Dakar mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar telephone: [221] 33-879-4000 FAX: [221] 33-822-2991 |
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| Economy | |
| Senegal relies heavily on donor assistance and foreign direct investment. The country's key export industries are phosphate mining, fertilizer production, and commercial fishing. The country is also working on iron ore and oil exploration projects. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in 1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to an economic reform program backed by the donor community, which led to real growth in GDP averaging over 5% annually during 1995-2007. Annual inflation was pushed down to the single digits. The global economic downturn reduced growth to 2.2% in 2009. The IMF completed a non-dispursing, Policy Support Initiative program in 2010 and approved a new three-year policy support instrument in December 2010 to assist with economic reforms. Senegal also receives disbursements from a $540 million Millennium Challenge Account for infrastructure and agriculture development. In 2012, the economy began to rebound after a weak 2011. The economy continues to suffer from unreliable power supply, which has led to public protests and high unemployment and has prompted migrants to flee Senegal in search of better job opportunities in Europe. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $26.5 billion (2012 est.) $25.56 billion (2011 est.) $24.91 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $13.95 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 3.7% (2012 est.) 2.6% (2011 est.) 4.1% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,900 (2012 est.) $2,000 (2011 est.) $2,000 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 15.3% industry: 22.7% services: 61.9% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 5.852 million (2012 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 77.5% industry and services: 22.5% (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 48% (2007 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 54% (2001 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 30.1% (2005) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 41.3 (2001) 41.3 (1995) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (2012 est.) 3.4% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 24.8% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $3.307 billion expenditures: $4.112 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 33.6% of GDP (2012 est.) 32.7% of GDP (2011 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish |
| Industries: | agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining; iron ore, zircon, and gold mining, construction materials, ship construction and repair |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 4.9% (2011 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 2.608 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 131 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 2.123 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 50 million cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 50 million cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | NA cu m (1 January 2012 est.) (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$1.298 billion (2012 est.) -$1.685 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $2.458 billion (2012 est.) $2.416 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton |
| Exports - partners: | Mali 21.9%, India 12.4%, France 4.6%, Italy 4.2% (2011) |
| Imports: | $5.109 billion (2012 est.) $5.398 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | food and beverages, capital goods, fuels |
| Imports - partners: | France 16.7%, China 9.6%, UK 8.4%, Nigeria 8.3%, Netherlands 5.8%, US 4.8% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $2.25 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $1.946 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $4.117 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $4.068 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA |
| Exchange rates: | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 511.4 (2012 est.) 471.33 (2011 est.) 495.28 (2010) 472.19 (2009) 447.81 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 346,400 (2011) country comparison to the world: 110 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 9.353 million (2011) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: good system with microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system domestic: above-average urban system with a fiber-optic network; nearly two-thirds of all fixed-line connections are in Dakar where a call-center industry is emerging; expansion of fixed-line services in rural areas needed; mobile-cellular service is expanding rapidly international: country code - 221; the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic cable provides connectivity to Europe and Asia while Atlantis-2 provides connectivity to South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2010) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .sn |
| Internet hosts: | 237 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 1.818 million (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 20 (2012) country comparison to the world: 136 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 9 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2012) |
| Pipelines: | gas 43 km; refined products 8 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 906 km narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-m gauge (2008) |
| Roadways: | total: 14,008 km paved: 4,099 km (includes 7 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,909 km (2003) |
| Waterways: | 1,000 km (primarily on the Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2012) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 1 by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Dakar |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Senegalese Armed Forces: Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2009) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; 20 years of age for selective conscript service; service obligation - 2 years; women have been accepted into military service since 2008 (2004) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 2,699,196 females age 16-49: 3,018,565 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,788,493 females age 16-49: 2,133,370 (2010 est.) |
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