Geography
Area: 196,840 sq. km. (76,000 sq. mi.), about the size of South Dakota. 
Cities: Capital--Dakar. Other cities--Diourbel, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Rufisque, Saint-Louis, Thies, Tambacounda, Ziguinchor, Fatick, Matam, Kedougou, Sedhiou.
Terrain: Flat or rising to foothills.
Climate: Tropical/Sahelian--desert or grasslands in the north, heavier vegetation in the south and southeast.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Senegalese (sing. and pl.).
Population (2007 est.): 12,521,851.
Annual growth rate: 2%.
Ethnic groups: Wolof 43%; Fulani (Peulh) and Toucouleur 23%; Serer 15%; Diola, Mandingo, and others 19%.
Religions: Muslim 95%, Christian 4%, traditional 1%.
Languages: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Serer, Diola, Mandingo, Soninke.
Education: Attendance--primary 75.8%, middle school 26.5%, secondary 11% (estimated). Literacy--59.1%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--60.15/1,000. Life expectancy--56.69 yrs. 
Work force (4.0 million): Agriculture--70% (subsistence or cash crops). Wage earners (350,000): private sector 61%, government and parapublic 39%.

Government 
Type: Republic. 
Independence: April 4, 1960. 
Constitution: March 3, 1963, last amended in 2001. 
Branches: Executive--President (chief of state, commander in chief of armed forces). Legislative--bicameral parliament with a 150 member National Assembly and a 100 member Senate. Judicial--Constitutional Council (appointed by the president from senior magistrates and eminent academics and attorneys), Court of Final Appeals, Council of State. 
Administrative subdivisions: 14 regions, 34 departments, 320 rural councils. 
Political parties: 72 political parties are registered, the most important of which are the Democratic Party of Senegal (PDS), Rewmi, Socialist Party (PS), the Alliance of Forces for Progress (AFP), "AND JEF/PADS", the Union for Democratic Renewal (URD), “JEF JEL”, the National Democratic Rally (RND), and the Independence and Labor Party (PIT). 
Suffrage: Universal adult, over 18. 
Central government budget (2007): revenues--$2.948 billion; expenditures--$3.036 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.302 billion.
Defense (2007): $133 million. 
National holiday: April 4, Independence Day.

Economy 
GDP (2006): $10.6 billion.
Real annual growth rate: 4.6% (2007 estimate).
Per capita GDP (2006): $700 - in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) $1,936 (2007).
Natural resources: Fish, peanuts, phosphate, iron ore, gold, titanium, oil and gas, cotton. 
Primary sector: Agriculture represents 15% of GDP. Products--peanuts, millet, sorghum, manioc, rice, cotton, vegetables and flowers, fruit. 
Secondary sector: 21.4% of GDP, of which industry and mining represent 22%. Types--fishing; agricultural product processing; light manufacturing; mining including energy, oil mining, and construction. 
Tertiary sector: 63% of GDP, of which services represent 40% of GDP and trade 22% of GDP. 
Trade (2006): Exports--$1.407 billion (fish products, peanut products, phosphate products). Major markets--France, other European Union, West African CFA zone. Imports--$3.040 billion (food, consumer goods, petroleum, machinery, transport equipment, petroleum products, computer equipment). Major suppliers--France, Nigeria, Cameroon, United States. 
Exchange rate: Fixed to the euro. African Financial Community (CFA) 656 CFA =1 euro. 
Economic aid received: In October 2007, major donors pledged approximately $4 billion in assistance for the next four years; U.S. assistance was around $55 million in 2007.

GEOGRAPHY 
Senegal is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. The Gambia penetrates more than 320 kilometers (200 mi.) into Senegal. Well-defined dry and humid seasons result from northeast winter winds and southwest summer winds. Dakar's annual rainfall of about 61 centimeters (24 in.) occurs between June and October when maximum temperatures average 27^oC (82^oF); December to February minimum temperatures are about 17^oC (63^oF). Interior temperatures are higher than along the coast, and rainfall increases substantially farther south, exceeding 150 centimeters (60 in.) annually in some areas.

PEOPLE 
About 75% of Senegal's population is rural. In rural areas, density varies from about 77 per square kilometer (200 per sq. mi.) in the west-central region to 2 per square kilometer (5 per sq. mi.) in the arid eastern section. About 50,000 Europeans (mostly French) and Lebanese reside in Senegal, mainly in the cities. French is the official language but is used regularly only by the literate minority. All Senegalese speak an indigenous language, of which Wolof has the largest usage.

HISTORY 
Archaeological findings throughout the area indicate that Senegal was inhabited in prehistoric times. Islam established itself in the Senegal River valley in the 11th century; 95% of Senegalese today are Muslims. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the area came under the influence of the Mandingo empires to the east; the Jolof Empire of Senegal also was founded during this time.

In January 1959, Senegal and the French Soudan merged to form the Mali Federation, which became fully independent on June 20, 1960, as a result of the independence and the transfer of power agreement signed with France on April 4, 1960. Due to internal political difficulties, the Federation broke up on August 20, 1960. Senegal and Soudan (renamed the Republic of Mali) proclaimed independence. Leopold Sedar Senghor, internationally known poet, politician, and statesman, was elected Senegal's first President in August 1960.

After the breakup of the Mali Federation, President Senghor and Prime Minister Mamadou Dia governed together under a parliamentary system. In December 1962, their political rivalry led to an attempted coup by Prime Minister Dia. Although this was put down without bloodshed, Dia was arrested and imprisoned, and Senegal adopted a new constitution that consolidated the President’s power. In 1980, President Senghor decided to retire from politics, and he handed over power in 1981 to his handpicked successor, Abdou Diouf. Abdou Diouf was President from 1981-2000. He encouraged broader political participation, reduced government involvement in the economy, and widened Senegal's diplomatic engagements, particularly with other developing nations. Domestic politics on occasion spilled over into street violence, border tensions, and a violent separatist movement in the southern region of the Casamance. Nevertheless, Senegal's commitment to democracy and human rights strengthened. Diouf served four terms as President. In the presidential election of 2000, he was defeated, in a free and fair election, by opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade. Senegal experienced its second peaceful transition of power, and its first from one political party to another. Parliamentary and presidential elections were held in 2006 and 2007, respectively.