Senegal

Location

• Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
• westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Dakar	2,646,503	Capital
Touba	1,120,824
Pikine	874,062
Guédiawaye	329,659
Thiès	317,763
Kaolack	298,904
Rufisque	295,459
Mbour	284,189
Saint-Louis	254,171
Thiès Nones	252,320

Size

• 75,749 square miles
• 196,190 square kilometers
• slightly smaller than South Dakota; slightly larger than twice the size of Indiana

History

Senegal is one of the few countries in the world with evidence of continuous human life from the Paleolithic period to present. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, the Jolof Empire ruled most of Senegal. Starting in the 15th century, Portugal, the Netherlands, France, and Great Britain traded along the Senegalese coast. Senegal’s location on the western tip of Africa made it a favorable base for the European slave trade. European powers used the Senegalese island of Goree as a base to purchase slaves from the warring chiefdoms on the mainland, and at the height of the slave trade in Senegal, over one-third of the Senegalese population was enslaved. In 1815, France abolished slavery and began expanding inland. During the second half of the 19th century, France took possession of Senegal as a French colony. In 1959, the French colonies of Senegal and French Sudan were merged and granted independence in 1960 as the Mali Federation. The union broke up after only a few months. In 1982, Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never implemented, and the union dissolved in 1989.Since the 1980s, the Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance -- a separatist movement based in southern Senegal -- has led a low-level insurgency. Several attempts at reaching a comprehensive peace agreement have failed. Since 2012, despite sporadic incidents of violence, an unofficial cease-fire has remained largely in effect. Senegal is one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. The Socialist Party of Senegal ruled for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000 and re-elected in 2007. WADE amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and weaken the opposition. In 2012, WADE’s decision to run for a third presidential term sparked public backlash that led to his loss to current President Macky SALL. A 2016 constitutional referendum limited future presidents to two consecutive five-year terms. President Bassirou Diomaye FAYE took office in April 2024.

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

Languages

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

Religions

Muslim 97.2% (most adhere to one of the four main Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 2.7% (mostly Roman Catholic) (2019 est.)

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: previous 1959 (pre-independence), 1963; latest adopted by referendum 7 January 2001, promulgated 22 January 2001amendment process: proposed by the president of the republic or by the National Assembly; passage requires Assembly approval and approval in a referendum; the president can bypass a referendum and submit an amendment directly to the Assembly, which requires at least three-fifths majority vote; the republican form of government is not amendable
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system based on French law; Constitutional Council reviews legislative acts
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Bassirou Diomaye FAYE (since 2 April 2024)head of government: Prime Minister Ousmane SONKO (since 2 April 2024)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the presidentelection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a single, renewable 5-year termmost recent election date: 24 March 2024election results: 2024: Bassirou Diomaye FAYE elected president in first round; percent of vote - Bassirou Diomaye FAYE (PASTEF) 54%, Amadou BA (APR) 36%, other 10%2019: Macky SALL reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Macky SALL (APR) 58.3%, Idrissa SECK (Rewmi) 20.5%, Ousmane SONKO (PASTEF) 15.7%, other 5.5%expected date of next election: March 2029
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Suprême (consists of the court president and 12 judges and organized into civil and commercial, criminal, administrative, and social chambers); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (consists of 7 members, including the court president, vice president, and 5 judges)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president of the republic upon recommendation of the Superior Council of the Magistrates, a body chaired by the president and minister of justice; judge tenure varies, with mandatory retirement either at 65 or 68 years; Constitutional Council members are appointed, 5 by the president and 2 by the National Assembly speaker; judges serve 6-year terms, with renewal of 2 members every 2 yearssubordinate courts: High Court of Justice (for crimes of high treason by the president); Courts of Appeal; Court of Auditors; assize courts; regional and district courts; Labor Court
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 165 (all directly elected)electoral system: mixed systemscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 11/17/2024parties elected and seats per party: Pastef Party (130); Coalition Takku Wallu Sénégal (16); Other (19)percentage of women in chamber: 41.2%expected date of next election: November 2029

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• lower middle-income, services-driven West African economy; key mining, construction, agriculture, and fishing industries; tourism and exports hit hard by COVID-19; large informal economy; developing offshore oil and gas fields; systemic corruption
• Budget: revenues: $7.749 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $9.267 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: fish, phosphates, iron ore
• Industries: agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, zircon, and gold mining, construction materials, ship construction and repair
• Agricultural Products: rice, groundnuts, watermelons, millet, cassava, sugarcane, maize, sorghum, onions, milk (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 49.4% (2022 est.)arable land: 19.9% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.4% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 29.1% (2022 est.)forest: 41.5% (2022 est.)other: 9.1% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, rice, garments, wheat (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 19%, France 9%, Nigeria 7%, India 7%, Russia 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: gold, refined petroleum, phosphoric acid, fish, cement (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Mali 21%, India 12%, Switzerland 11%, China 5%, UAE 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports