General background: Independent from France
in 1960, Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the
nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. However,
the envisaged integration of the two countries was never
carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. Despite
peace talks, a southern separatist group sporadically
has clashed with government forces since 1982. Senegal
has a long history of participating in international
peacekeeping.
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.
Terrain: Generally low, rolling, plains
rising to foothills in southeast.
Population: 10,589,571 (July 2002 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%
Religions: Muslim 94%, indigenous beliefs
1%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic)
Language: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar,
Jola, Mandinka
Government type: Republic under multiparty
democratic rule.
Capital: Dakar
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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction.
Economic 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 is 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 5% annually
during 1995-2001. Annual inflation had been pushed
down to less than 1%, but rose to an estimated 3.3%
in 2001. Investment rose steadily from 13.8% of GDP
in 1993 to 16.5% in 1997. As a member of the West
African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Senegal
is working toward greater regional integration with
a unified external tariff. Senegal also realized full
Internet connectivity in 1996, creating a miniboom
in information technology-based services. Private
activity now accounts for 82% of GDP. On the negative
side, Senegal faces deep-seated urban problems of
chronic unemployment, trade union militancy, juvenile
delinquency, and drug addiction.
Communication/Telephone system: Good system
Places of interest: Senegal's arts are lively,
with a thriving textile market and an entourage of
internationally known musicians.
Travel tips: Worrying for travellers was an
incident in 2001 involving a busload of 15 tourists
held up between Ziguinchor and Cap Skiring. The tourists
were robbed at gunpoint and the driver and a local
guide on board were killed. There is speculation as
to whether this act was committed by the rebels or
murderous thieves taking advantage of the unrest in
the region. Either way, travellers should ask around
for information about the latest no-go areas.
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