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

slightly smaller than South Dakota

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

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

12,643,799 (July 2011 est.)

36.73 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

9.26 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

-1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

DAKAR (capital) 2.777 million (2009)

4.78 children born/woman (2011 est.)

urban: 92% of population

rural: 52% of population

total: 69% of population

urban: 8% of population

rural: 48% of population

total: 31% of population (2008)

urban: 69% of population

rural: 38% of population

total: 51% of population

urban: 31% of population

rural: 62% of population

total: 49% of population (2008)

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

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; amended many times

civil law system based on French law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUSCO, 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; green represents Islam, progress, and hope; yellow signifies natural wealth and progress; red symbolizes sacrifice and determination; the star denotes unity and hope

Senegal relies heavily on donor assistance. 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. In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic reform program with the support of the international donor community. 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 1995-2007. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the single digits. The country was adversely affected by the global economic downturn in 2009 and GDP growth fell below 2%. 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. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal 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 which was completed in 2010. Senegal received its first disbursement from the $540 million Millennium Challenge Account compact it signed in September 2009 for infrastructure and agriculture development. In 2010, the Senegalese people protested against frequent power cuts. The government pledged to expand capacity by 2012 and to promote renewable energy but until Senegal has more capacity, more protests are likely and economic activity will be hindered. During the year, bakers protested government price controls on bread. Foreign investment in Senegal is constrained by Senegal's business environment, which has slipped in recent years, and by perceptions of corruption.

$23.88 billion (2010 est.)

$22.91 billion (2009 est.)

$22.42 billion (2008 est.)

$12.88 billion (2010 est.)

5.53 million (2010 est.)

25.9% of GDP (2010 est.)

32.1% of GDP (2010 est.)

29.6% of GDP (2009 est.)

4.25% (31 December 2009)

4.75% (31 December 2008)

$2.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$2.903 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$4.603 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$4.745 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$3.516 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$3.412 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

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

1.88 billion kWh (2007 est.)

1.384 billion kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

39,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

5,653 bbl/day (2007 est.)

42,850 bbl/day (2007 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

50 million cu m (2008 est.)

$-1.046 billion (2010 est.)

$-1.356 billion (2009 est.)

$2.112 billion (2010 est.)

$1.902 billion (2009 est.)

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

Mali 20.12%, India 9.84%, The Gambia 5.58%, France 5.02%, Italy 4.23% (2009)

$4.474 billion (2010 est.)

$4.549 billion (2009 est.)

food and beverages, capital goods, fuels

France 19.58%, UK 9.64%, China 8.08%, Netherlands 5.64%, Thailand 4.75%, US 3.97% (2009)

$2.2 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$2.123 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$3.885 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$3.462 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -

6.902 million (2009)

state-run Radiodiffusion Television Senegalaise (RTS) operates 2 TV stations; a few private TV subscription channels rebroadcast foreign channels without providing any local news or programs; RTS operates a national radio network and a number of regional FM stations; a large number of community and private-broadcast radio stations are available; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible on FM in Dakar (2007)

1.818 million (2009)

gas 43 km; refined products 8 km (2010)

1,000 km (primarily on the Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2010)

Senegalese Armed Forces: Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2009)

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