Senegal

Internet country code

.sn

Internet hosts

199 (2007)

Internet users

650,000 (2006)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)

Telephone system

general assessment: good system domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system international: country code - 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

282,600 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.983 million (2006)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1997)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $1.975 billion expenditures: $2.485 billion (2006 est.)

Currency (code)

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Current account balance

$-960 million (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$1.437 billion (2006 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

41.3 (2001)

Economic aid - recipient

$689.3 million (2005 est.)

Economy - overview

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. 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 1995-2006. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low 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. Senegal still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal will benefit from eradication of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector debt.

Electricity - consumption

1.456 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - production

2.223 billion kWh (2005)

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002)

Exports

$1.408 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Mali 19.2%, France 8.3%, India 5.8%, Gambia, The 5.3%, Spain 5.1%, Italy 4.9% (2006)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$8.331 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$21.54 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 16.6% industry: 19.2% services: 64.1% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,800 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 33.4% (2001)

Imports

$3.007 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

food and beverages, capital goods, fuels

Imports - partners

France 25.1%, UK 5.2%, Thailand 4.8%, China 4.5%, Spain 4% (2006)

Industrial production growth rate

3.2% (2006 est.)

Industries

agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, construction materials, ship construction and repair

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.1% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

39.7% of GDP (2006 est.)

Labor force

4.723 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 77% industry and services: 23% (1990 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

47.95 million cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas - production

47.95 million cu m (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

31,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006)

Population below poverty line

54% (2001 est.)

Public debt

16.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.334 billion (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

48%; note - urban youth 40% (2001 est.)

Area

total: 196,190 sq km land: 192,000 sq km water: 4,190 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Dakota

Climate

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

Coastline

531 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international 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

Geographic coordinates

14 00 N, 14 00 W

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

1,200 sq km (2003)

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

Land use

arable land: 12.51% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 87.25% (2005)

Location

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

Map references

Africa

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

Natural hazards

lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

Natural resources

fish, phosphates, iron ore

Terrain

generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

name: Dakar geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 17 26 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

adopted 7 January 2001

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jay Thomas Smith embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar telephone: [221] 33-823-4296 FAX: [221] 33-822-2991

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou Lamine BA chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Cheikh Hadjibou SOUMARE (since 19 June 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) under new constitution; election last held on 25 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdoulaye WADE reelected president in the first round of voting; percent of vote - Abdoulaye WADE 55.9%, Idrissa SECK 14.9%, Ousmane Tanor DIENG 13.6%, Moustapha NIASSE 5.9%, other 9.7%

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

Government type

republic

Independence

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

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, 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, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (150 seats; 90 members elected by direct popular vote with the remaining members elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and the Senate reinstituted in 2007 (100 seats; 35 indirectly elected with the remaining 65 members to be appointed by the president) elections: National Assembly - last held on 3 June 2007 (next to be held 2012); note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006; legislative elections were first rescheduled to coincide with the 25 February 2007 presidential elections and later rescheduled for 3 June 2007; the June election was boycotted by 12 opposition parties, including the former ruling Socialist Party, that resulted in a record-low, 35-percent voter turnout; Senate - last held 19 August 2007 (next to be held - NA) election results: National Assembly results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SOPI Coalition 131, other 19; Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDS 34, AJ/PADS 1, 65 to be appointed by the president

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Political parties and leaders

African Party of Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS) [Landing SAVANE]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP [Moustapha NIASSE]; Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP (also known as Garab-Gi) [Dr. Iba Der THIAM]; Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for Socialism and Democracy or FSD [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 [Elhadji DIOUF]; Reform Party or PR [Abdourahim AGNE]; Rewmi [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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

labor; Sufi and Mouride brotherhoods; students; teachers

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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 was ruled by the Socialist Party for 40 years until current President Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982, but the envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The most significant threat within Senegal since the 1980s has been led by the Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC). Although a peace agreement was signed in December 2004, internal rifts continue to keep the peace process deadlocked. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping.

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 2,443,840 females age 18-49: 2,461,939 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 1,558,175 females age 18-49: 1,642,533 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49: 129,331 females age 18-49: 129,398 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2007)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 42% (male 2,656,122/female 2,608,423) 15-64 years: 55% (male 3,426,504/female 3,454,372) 65 years and over: 3% (male 176,877/female 199,553) (2007 est.)

Birth rate

37.4 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate

10.96 deaths/1,000 population (2007 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%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

3,500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

44,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 60.15 deaths/1,000 live births male: 64.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 56.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 56.69 years male: 55.34 years female: 58.09 years (2007 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 39.3% male: 51.1% female: 29.2% (2002 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and Rift Valley fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2007)

Median age

total: 18.7 years male: 18.5 years female: 18.9 years (2007 est.)

Nationality

noun: Senegalese (singular and plural) adjective: Senegalese

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Population

12,521,851 (July 2007 est.)

Population growth rate

2.645% (2007 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.018 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.992 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.886 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate

5 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Disputes - international

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

Illicit drugs

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 19,712 (Mauritania) IDPs: 22,400 (approximately 65% of the IDP population returned in 2005, but new displacement is occurring due to clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2006)

Airports

20 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Pipelines

gas 43 km (2006)

Ports and terminals

Dakar

Railways

total: 906 km narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000 meter gauge (2006)

Roadways

total: 13,576 km paved: 3,972 km (includes 7 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,604 km (2003)

Waterways

1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2005)