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Scimitar oryx in Guembeul game reserve Senegal
Scimitar oryx in Guembeul game reserve Senegal. The Sahara oryx, is a species of Oryx extinct in the wild since 2000, today, it is bred in captivity in special reserves in Tunisia, Morocco and Senegal.
Image: Ji-Elle
 
Senegal Flag
Flag of Senegal
Location map of Senegal. Where in Africa is Senegal?
Location map of Senegal
A virtual guide to Senegal, a country on the coast of West Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean in west. It is bordered by Mauritania along the Senegal River in north, by Mali in east, by Guinea and Guinea-Bissau in south, and it encloses The Gambia, a narrow nation along both banks of the Gambia River. Senegal shares also maritime borders with the island country of Cape Verde in west.

Senegal lies within three climate zones, with a hot desert zone in north, a semi arid zone in center and a tropical savanna area in south. The country occupies an area of 196,722 km², this is about 1.5 times the size of Greece or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of South Dakota.

The country has a population of about 14.8 million people (in 2016); capital and largest city is Dakar. Spoken languages are French (official), Wolof, and other West African languages.


Republic of Senegal | République du Sénégal


Country Profile



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.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)

related countries: France
 
 

Official Name:
République du Sénégal
conventional long form: Republic of Senegal
conventional short form: Senegal

ISO Country Code: sn, SEN

Actual Time: Sun-Mar-17  19:11
Local Time = UTC +0h

Country Calling Code: +221

Capital City: Dakar
Mairie de Dakar - the city of Dakar.

Other Cities:
Diourbel, Kolda, Kaolack, Louga,
Saint-Louis, Thies, Tambacounda, Ziguinchor.

Government:
Type: Republic.
Independence: 4 April 1960 (from France).

Geography:
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania.
Area: 196,722 km² (76,000 sq. mi.)
Terrain: Flat or rising to foothills.

Climate: Tropical Sahelian desert or grasslands in the north, more vegetation in the south and southeast.

People:
Nationality: Senegalese (sing. and pl.)
Population: 14.8 million (2016)
Ethnic groups: Wolof 43%; Pular (Fulani, Peulh) and Toucouleur 23%; Serer 15%; Diola (Jola) 3.7%, Mandingo (Mandinka) 3%, Soninke 1.1%, and others 19%.
Religions: Muslim 95%, Christian 4%, traditional 1%.
Languages: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Serer, Diola, Mandingo, Soninke.
Literacy: 38%.

Natural resources: Fish, peanuts, phosphate, iron ore, gold, titanium.

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.

Exports - commodities: fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton

Exports partners: Mali 12.8%, Switzerland 9.7%, India 5.9%, Cote dIvoire 5.3%, China 5.1%, UAE 4.1%, France 4.1% (2015)

Imports - commodities:
food and beverages, capital goods, fuels

Imports partners: France 17.9%, China 10%, Nigeria 8.7%, India 5.6%, Spain 4.9%, Netherlands 4.5% (2015)

Currency: CFA Franc BCEAO (XOF)

Political system
Senegal is a semi-presidential, democratic republic. The country's political system remains dominated by the office of the presidency. The President is chief of state, he is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system. Head of government is the prime minister, who is appointed by the president. Senegal has a mixed legal system, its judicial system is based on the French civil code and Senegalese Islamic law.

According to Amnesty International, Senegal's authorities continued to restrict the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression. Prisons remained overcrowded. Although several police officers were convicted of unlawful killings, impunity remained a concern. Men and women faced arrest because of their real or perceived sexual orientation.

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Official Sites of Senegal

Senegal
Gouvernement du Sénégal (in French).


Diplomatic Missions
Ambassade du Sénégal à Ottawa, Canada
Embassy of Senegal - Ottawa, Canada.
Ambassade de la République du Sénégal à Paris
Embassy of Senegal - Paris, France.


Weather
Direction Nationale de la Météorologie
Meteo Senegal (in French).


Map
Map of Senegal
Political Map of Senegal.
Administrative Map of Senegal
Map of Senegal showing its administrative regions.
Google Earth Google Earth Senegal
Searchable map/satellite view of Senegal.
Google Earth Google Earth Dakar
Searchable map/satellite view of Senegal's capital city.

Political Map of Africa
The 54 countries of Africa.
Map of Africa
A Relief Map of Africa.

Island of Gorée, Senegal
View of Gorée, the island opposite Dakar is famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlantic slave trade. Today the Island of Gorée official website is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Image: Vincenzo

News


Senegal online news

L'Agence de Presse Sénégalaise
APS - Senegalese government press agency.

Le Quotidien
Senegal news (in French).
Le Soleil
Dakar - prominent main-stream daily (in French).
Le Senegal Online
Senegal magazine with news.
Seneweb
Senegal tabloid news (in French)
Sud Online
One of Senegal's top newspapers and radio stations (in French).
Wal Fadjri
Senegalese news magazine (in French).
 

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Arts & Culture


Art, Culture & History of Senegal
A page about Senengalese Art and Artisans, Cinema, Cuisine, Dance, Fashion, Literature, and Music.

Cosaan: Senegalese Culture
Site about general Senegalese culture, griots, and performing arts.

Festival de Jazz de Saint-Louis du Sénégal
Official site of the Saint Louis Jazz Festival.

Baobab wood
Baobab trees, one of the symbols of Senegal

Business & Economy


Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO)
Central Bank of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.

Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA)
West African Economic and Monetary Union (in French).

IZF.net, le portail de la Zone Franc CFA
Information about business and investment in the African countries within the monetary system of the Franc Zone - CFA. (in French)

Union Nationale des Chambres de Métiers
The national Chambers of Commerce.

Trade Point Senegal
Business and investment Senegal (in French)

__Transportation

Airline
Air Senegal
Air Sénégal International - part of Groupe Royal Air Maroc (in French).
 
 
Pointe des Almadies, Dakar, Senegal
Pointe des Almadies on Cap-Vert peninsula west of Dakar. The westernmost point of the African continent is within the private beach of the French vacation resort Club Med.
Image: Jeff Attaway


Travel and Tour Consumer Information


Destination Senegal - Travel and Tour Guides


Ministère du Tourisme et des Transports Aériens du Sénégal
Travel and tourism in Senegal.

Senegal Ministry of Tourism
With some travel and tourism information on Senegal (in French).

Au Sénégal
A Senegal travel and tourism guide.

Senego
Senegal portal site with Senegal related news and information on the country (in French)

The Republic of Sénégal
A resource for everything Sénégalese by Amadou Thiam a member of the Sénégalese Senate.


City Guides

Dakar
Dakar
Mairie de Dakar - a guide to the city of Dakar.

Saint-Louis
Saint-Louis
Official site of the city of Saint-Louis, Senegal.
 

Education


Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE)
About Senegal's Ecology by the Ministry of Environement (in French).

L'Institut Pasteur de Dakar

Pasteur Institut for medical Science, Dakar (in French).

Université Cheikh Anta Diop
Official site of the University, Dakar (in French).

Université Gaston Berger

Official site of the University, Saint-Louis (in French).
 
 

Environment - Environmental Organizations Senegal


Comité Permanent Inter-Etats de Lutte contre la Sécheresse dans le Sahel (CILSS)
Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (in French).
 
 

History


Gorée Island
Virtual Visit of Gorée Island and the House of Slaves.

Histoire du Sénégal
Brief history of Senegal (in French).

Sénégal's History
An abbreviated history of Sénégal: From pre-colonial to the present.

La route de l'esclave - The Slave Route
An UNESCO documentation about four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. (pdf format)
 
Hist. image of Indigenous district Saint-Louis
Indigenous district Saint-Louis
© Centre Edmond Fortier

Sources and additional Information about Senegal


Africa South of Sahara (Karen Fung) Senegal

Amnesty International: Senegal

BBC Country Profile: Senegal

FAO: Senegal

GlobalEDGE: Senegal

The Heritage Foundation: Senegal


Human Rights Watch: Senegal

OEC: Senegal

Reporters Without Borders: Senegal

Wikipedia: Senegal

The World Factbook -- Senegal
 
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Major Cities in West Africa
Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Bamako, Banjul, Bissau, Conakry, Cotonou, Dakar, Freetown, Lagos, Lomé, Monrovia,
Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, Porto-Novo, Praia, Sao Tome City, Yamoussoukro

Other Countries of Western Africa
Benin | Burkina Faso | Cape Verde | Côte d'Ivoire | Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau
Liberia | Mali | Mauritania | Niger | Nigeria | Sierra Leone | Togo
 
 
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