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. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until current President Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. He was reelected in February 2007 and has amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition, part of the President's increasingly autocratic governing style. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation.

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

14 00 N, 14 00 W

Africa

slightly smaller than South Dakota

531 km

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

generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

fish, phosphates, iron ore

1,200 sq km (2003)

39.4 cu km (1987)

lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

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

westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal

14,086,103 (July 2010 est.)

2.68% (2010 est.)

36.36 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

9.55 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

4.86 children born/woman (2010 est.)

1% (2007 est.)

67,000 (2007 est.)

1,800 (2007 est.)

Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%

Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1%

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

5% of GDP (2006)

republic

14 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaffrine, Kaolack, Kedougou, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Sedhiou, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor

4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960

Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

adopted 7 January 2001

based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the government's accounting office; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

18 years of age; universal

bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate, reinstituted in 2007, (100 seats; 35 members indirectly elected and 65 members appointed by the president) and the 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)

Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals

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]; 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]; People's Labor Party or PTP [El Hadji DIOUF]; Reform Party or PR [Abdourahim AGNE]; 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); Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]

ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP (associate), ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band

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 was linked at a fixed rate to the French franc, and now to the euro. 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 over 5% annually during 1995-2008. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the single digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with a unified external tariff and a more stable monetary policy. High unemployment, however, continues to prompt illegal migrants to flee Senegal in search of better job opportunities in Europe. Senegal was also beset by an energy crisis that caused widespread blackouts in 2006 and 2007. The phosphate industry has struggled for two years to secure capital. Reduced output has directly impacted GDP. In 2007, Senegal signed agreements for major new mining concessions for iron, zircon, and gold with foreign companies. Firms from Dubai have agreed to manage and modernize Dakar's maritime port and create a new special economic zone. Senegal still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal has benefited from eradication of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector debt. In 2007, Senegal and the IMF agreed to a new, non-disbursing, Policy Support Initiative program. In September 2009, Senegal signed a Compact with the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation, which will provide $540 million in infrastructure development, primarily in road construction along Senegal's northern and southern borders in conjunction with adjacent irrigation and agriculture projects.

$22.38 billion (2009 est.)

$22.01 billion (2008 est.)

$21.49 billion (2007 est.)

$12.76 billion (2009 est.)

1.7% (2009 est.)

2.4% (2008 est.)

4.8% (2007 est.)

$1,600 (2009 est.)

$1,600 (2008 est.)

$1,700 (2007 est.)

5.578 million (2009 est.)

48% (2007 est.)

54% (2001 est.)

41.3 (2001)

41.3 (1995)

33.1% of GDP (2009 est.)

24% of GDP (2009 est.)

21.4% of GDP (2008 est.)

0.8% (2009 est.)

5.8% (2008 est.)

4.75% (31 December 2008)

4.25% (31 December 2007)

NA%

$NA (31 December 2008)

$2.842 billion (31 December 2007)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$1.579 billion (31 December 2007)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$2.97 billion (31 December 2007)

$NA

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

agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining; iron ore, zircon, and gold mining, construction materials, ship construction and repair

1.7% (2009 est.)

1.88 billion kWh (2007 est.)

1.384 billion kWh (2007 est.)

0 kWh (2008 est.)

0 kWh (2008 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

38,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

5,653 bbl/day (2007 est.)

42,850 bbl/day (2007 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

50 million cu m (2008 est.)

50 million cu m (2008 est.)

0 cu m (2008 est.)

0 cu m (2008 est.)

NA cu m

-$1.437 billion (2009 est.)

-$975 million (2008 est.)

$1.652 billion (2009 est.)

$2.053 billion (2008 est.)

fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton

Mali 19.2%, India 9.4%, France 5.4%, Gambia, The 5.3%, Italy 4.8% (2008)

$3.864 billion (2009 est.)

$4.263 billion (2008 est.)

food and beverages, capital goods, fuels

France 19.9%, UK 15.3%, China 6.8%, Belgium 4.6%, Thailand 4.5%, Netherlands 4.1% (2008)

$1.25 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$1.601 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$2.763 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.627 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 481.35 (2009), 447.81 (2008), 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005)

237,800 (2008)

5.389 million (2008)

AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)

7 (2008)

.sn

227 (2009)

1.02 million (2008)

19 (2009)

gas 43 km; refined products 8 km (2009)

1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2008)

Dakar

Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2008)

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem separatist violence, cross border raids, and arms smuggling into their countries from Senegal's Casamance region, and in 2006, respectively accepted 6,000 and 10,000 Casamance residents fleeing the conflict; 2,500 Guinea-Bissau residents fled into Senegal in 2006 to escape armed confrontations along the border

transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis