Senegal
|
| Basic Facts |
| 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 |
| Gevernment type | republic |
| Capital |
name: Dakar
geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 17 26 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| 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 |
| Currency | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States |
| Internet country code | .sn |
| Ports and terminals | Dakar |
| 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, construction materials, ship construction and repair |
| Geography |
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania |
| Coordinates | 14 00 N, 14 00 W |
| Continent | Africa |
| Area |
total: 196,190 sq km
land: 192,000 sq km water: 4,190 sq km |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| People |
| Population | 11,987,121 (July 2006 est.) |
| 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 |
