Senegal




                                 Geography


Location:
     Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between
     Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
Map references:
     Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     196,190 sq km
land area:
     192,000 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries:
     total 2,640 km, The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338
     km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline:
     531 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
     24 nm
continental shelf:
     200 nm or the edge of continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     short section of the boundary with The Gambia is indefinite; Senegal
     and Guinea-Bissau signed an agreement resolving their maritime
     boundary in 1993; boundary with Mauritania
Climate:
     tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (December to April) has strong
     southeast winds; dry season (May to November) dominated by hot, dry
     harmattan wind
Terrain:
     generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Natural resources:
     fish, phosphates, iron ore
Land use:
arable land:
     27%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     30%
forest and woodland:
     31%
other:
     12%
Irrigated land:
     1,800 sq km (1989 est.)




Environment:
current issues:
     wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation;
     overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards:
     lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
international agreements:
     party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
     Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
     Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
     Change, Marine Dumping
Note:
     The Gambia is almost an enclave


                                  People


Population:
     8,730,508 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     3.11% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     43.15 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     12.01 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     75.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     56.58 years
male:
     55.12 years
female:
     58.09 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     6.09 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Senegalese (singular and plural)
adjective:
     Senegalese
Ethnic divisions:
     Wolof 36%, Fulani 17%, Serer 17%, Toucouleur 9%, Diola 9%, Mandingo
     9%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 2%
Religions:
     Muslim 92%, indigenous beliefs 6%, Christian 2% (mostly Roman
     Catholic)
Languages:
     French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, Mandingo
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     38%




male:
     52%
female:
     25%
Labor force:
     2.509 million (77% are engaged in subsistence farming; 175,000 wage
     earners)
by occupation:
     private sector 40%, government and parapublic 60%
note:
     52% of population of working age (1985)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Senegal
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republique du Senegal
local short form:
Digraph:
     SG
Type:
     republic under multiparty democratic rule
Capital:
     Dakar
Administrative divisions:
     10 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick,
     Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor
Independence:
     20 August 1960 (from France; The Gambia and Senegal signed an
     agreement on 12 December 1981 that called for the creation of a loose
     confederation to be known as Senegambia, but the agreement was
     dissolved on 30 September 1989)
National holiday:
     Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
Constitution:
     3 March 1963, last revised in 1991
Legal system:
     based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
     in Supreme Court, which also audits the government's accounting
     office; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     President Abdou DIOUF (since 1 January 1981); election last held 21
     February 1993 (next to be held February 2000); results - Abdou DIOUF
     (PS) 58.4%, Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 32.03%, other 9.57%
head of government:
     Prime Minister Habib THIAM (since 7 April 1991)




cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister in consultation
     with the president
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale):
     elections last held 9 May 1993 (next to be held NA May 1998); results
     - PS 70%, PDS 23%, other 7%; seats - (120 total) PS 84, PDS 27, LD-MPT
     3, Let Us Unite Senegal 3, PIT 2, UDS-R 1
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders:
     Socialist Party (PS), President Abdou DIOUF; Senegalese Democratic
     Party (PDS), Abdoulaye WADE; Democratic League-Labor Party Movement
     (LD-MPT), Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY; Independent Labor Party (PIT), Amath
     DANSOKHO; Senegalese Democratic Union-Renewal (UDS-R), Mamadou
     Puritain FALL; other small uninfluential parties
Other political or pressure groups:
     students; teachers; labor; Muslim Brotherhoods
Member of:
     ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, GATT,
     IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
     INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC,
     PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMUR, UNTAC, UPU,
     WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Mamadou Mansour SECK
chancery:
     2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 234-0540 or 0541
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Mark JOHNSON
embassy:
     Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Avenue Kleber, Dakar
mailing address:
     B. P. 49, Dakar
telephone:
     [221] 23-42-96 or 23-34-24
FAX:
     [221] 22-29-91
Flag:
     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


                                  Economy




Overview:
     After 14 years of mixed compliance with IMF and World Bank economic
     reform programs, Senegal finds its economy remains hostage to negative
     economic forces. Declining terms of trade, weather-related setbacks,
     and relentless growth in population have held back overall growth and
     left per capita incomes stagnant, if not diminished. The economy
     continues to rely on exports of fish, peanuts, and phosphates for hard
     currency earnings. A 50% devaluation of the African franc in January
     1994 is likely to lead to substantial increases in local currency
     prices for producers that may spur improved production. A sheltered
     import-substitution sector, comprising textiles, shoes, and other
     light manufacturing, will remain plagued, however, by high labor,
     transportation, and energy costs. Public finances face a decade-long
     trend in declining tax revenues, making the government increasingly
     dependent on official development assistance from bilateral donors.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $11.8 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     1.2% (1991 est.)
National product per capita:
     $1,400 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     -1.8% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     NA%
Budget:
revenues:
     $1.2 billion
expenditures:
     $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $269 million (1992
     est.)
Exports:
     $904 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
     fish, ground nuts, petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
partners:
     France, other EC members, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali
Imports:
     $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
commodities:
     foods and beverages, consumer goods, capital goods, petroleum
partners:
     France, other EC, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Algeria, China, Japan
External debt:
     $2.9 billion (1990)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 1.9% (1991); accounts for 15% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     215,000 kW
production:
     760 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     100 kWh (1991)




Industries:
     agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, petroleum
     refining, building materials
Agriculture:
     accounts for 20% of GDP; major products - peanuts (cash crop), millet,
     corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; estimated
     two-thirds self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 354,000 metric tons
     in 1990
Illicit drugs:
     transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Europe and
     North America
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $551 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $5.23
     billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $589 million; Communist
     countries (1970-89), $295 million
Currency:
     1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
     Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05
     (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26
     (1990), 319.01 (1989)
note:
     the official rate is pegged to the French franc, and beginning 12
     January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc
     from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     1,034 km 1.000-meter gauge; all single track except 70 km double track
     Dakar to Thies
Highways:
total:
     14,007 km
paved:
     3,777 km
unpaved:
     crushed stone, improved earth 10,230 km
Inland waterways:
     897 km total; 785 km on the Senegal, 112 km on the Saloum
Ports:
     Dakar, Kaolack, Foundiougne, Ziguinchor
Merchant marine:
     1 bulk ship (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 1,995 GRT/3,775 DWT
Airports:
total:
     26
usable:
     20
with permanent-surface runways:
     10




with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     16
Telecommunications:
     above-average urban system, using microwave and cable; broadcast
     stations - 8 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 3 submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean
     INTELSAT earth station


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie, National Police
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 1,951,370; fit for military service 1,018,802; reach
     military age (18) annually 94,973 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $100 million, 2% of GDP (1989 est.)