The Republic of Senegal is a country south of the Sénégal River in western Africa. Senegal is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south. The Gambia lies almost entirely within Senegal, surrounded on the north, east and south; from its western coast, The Gambia's territory follows the Gambia River more than 300 km inland. The Cape Verde islands lie some 560 km (348 miles) off the Senegalese coast.
The Senegalese landscape consists mainly of the rolling sandy plains of the western Sahel which rise to foothills in the southeast. Here is also found Senegal's highest point, an otherwise unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha at 581 m. The capital Dakar lies on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of continental Africa.
The local climate is tropical with well-defined dry and humid seasons that result from northeast winter winds and southwest summer winds. Dakar's annual rainfall of about 600mm (24 in) occurs between June and October when maximum temperatures average 27°C; December to February minimum temperatures are about 17°C.
Interior temperatures are higher than along the coast, and rainfall increases substantially farther south, exceeding 1.5m annually in some areas. The country covers 196,190 square kilometers
| Data |
|
| Date of independence |
4 April 1961 |
| Capital |
Dakar |
| Population |
11,987,121 |
| Major languages |
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka |
| Major religions |
Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1% |
| Life expectancy |
Total population: 59.25 years
Male: 57.7 years
Female: 60.85 years (2006 est.) |
| Literacy |
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 40.2%
Male: 50%
Female: 30.7% (2003 est.) |
| Monetary unit |
1 CFA franc = 100 Centimes |
| Major exports |
fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton |
| GDP Purchasing Power Parity |
$20.53 billion (2005 est.) |
| GDP Per Capita |
$1,800 (2005 est.) |
| Goverment type |
Republic |
| President |
Abdoulaye Wade (since 1 April 2000) |
| Judicial Branch |
Court of Appeal, Council of State, Constitutional Court |
| T.I Corruption Index Rank |
70 Worldwide with a score of 3.3 out of 10 |
PARLIAMENT
Unicameral National Assembly (120 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms)
ELECTIONS
President elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) under new constitution. Election last held under prior constitution (seven-year terms) 27 February and 19 March 2000 (next to be held February 2007); prime minister appointed by the president.
Last held 29 April 2001 (next to be held in February 2007). The National Assembly in December 2005 voted to postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006, they will now coincide with presidential elections in 2007.
POLITICAL PARTIES
The ruling party is the SOPI Coalition (a coalition led by the (PDS) Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS).
The opposition is led by the:-
- Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP;
- African Party for Democracy and Socialism or And Jef PADS/AJ;
- African Party of Independence; Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP;
- Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT;
- Front for Socialism and Democracy or FSD;
- Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC;
- Independence and Labor Party or PIT;
- National Democratic Rally or RND;
- Socialist Party or PS;
- Union for Democratic Renewal or URD.
Source of all data: CIA World Fact and Wikipedia
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