Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country in West Africa, on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Senegal is bordered by Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, Guinea to the southeast and Guinea-Bissau to the southwest. Senegal nearly surrounds the Gambia, a country occupying a narrow sliver of land along the banks of the Gambia River, which separates Senegal's southern region of Casamance from the rest of the country. Senegal also shares a maritime border with Cape Verde. Senegal's economic and political capital is Dakar.
Senegal is a coastal West African nation located 14 degrees north of the equator and 14 degrees west of the Prime Meridian. The country's total area is 196,190 km2 of which 192,000 km2 is land and 4,190 km2 is water.
The economy of Senegal is driven by mining, construction, tourism, fishing and agriculture, which are the main sources of employment in rural areas, despite abundant natural resources in iron, zircon, gas, gold, phosphates, and numerous oil discoveries recently. Senegal's economy gains most of its foreign exchange from fish, phosphates, groundnuts, tourism, and services. As one of the dominant parts of the economy, the agricultural sector of Senegal is highly vulnerable to environmental conditions, such as variations in rainfall and climate change, and changes in world commodity prices.
Telecommunications in Senegal include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.
The Armed Forces of Senegal consists of about 17,000 personnel in the army, air force, navy, and gendarmerie. The Senegal military force receives most of its training, equipment, and support from France and the United States. Germany also provides support but on a smaller scale.
Senegal's first President, Léopold Senghor, advocated close relations with France and negotiation and compromise as the best means of resolving international differences after Senegal's independence from its status as a French colony. To a large extent, the two succeeding presidents, Abdou Diouf and Abdoulaye Wade, have carried on Senghor's policies and philosophies. Senegal has long supported functional integration among French-speaking West African states through the West African Economic and Monetary Union.
Macky Sall is a Senegalese politician who has been President of Senegal since April 2012. He was re-elected President in the first round voting in February 2019. Under President Abdoulaye Wade, Sall was Prime Minister of Senegal from July 2004 to June 2007 and President of the National Assembly from June 2007 to November 2008. He was the Mayor of Fatick from 2002 to 2008 and held that post again from 2009 to 2012. Sall was a long-time member of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS). After coming into conflict with Wade, he was removed from his post as President of the National Assembly in November 2008; he consequently founded his own party named the Alliance for the Republic (APR) and joined the opposition. Placing second in the first round of the 2012 presidential election, he won the backing of other opposition candidates and prevailed over Wade in the second round of voting, held on 25 March 2012. He is the first president born after Senegalese independence from France.
The Senegal national football team, nicknamed the Lions of Teranga, represents Senegal in international association football and is operated by the Senegalese Football Federation. They are the current champions of the Africa Cup of Nations, champions of the African Nations Championship .Their U-17 and U-20 teams are respectively champions of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
Air Sénégal International was an airline with its head office in Dakar, Senegal. It was a regional carrier operating a scheduled domestic network and regional flights to neighbouring countries. It also operated charter and air taxi flights. Its main base was Dakar-Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport.
Mame Madior Boye is a Senegalese politician who served as Prime Minister of Senegal from 2001 to 2002. She was the first woman to hold that position.
Cheikh Anta Diop University, also known as the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese physicist, historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop and has an enrollment of over 60,000.
The Senegalese education system is based on its French equivalent. The state is responsible for the creation of an educational system that enables every citizen access to education. Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution adopted in January 2001 guarantee access to education for all children. However, due to limited resources and low demand for secular education in areas where Islamic education is more prevalent, the law is not fully enforced.
Dodji is a town in north central Senegal. with a 2007 estimated population of 8,281. It is in the Louga Region, Linguère Department, and the Dodji Arrondissement, which consists of the communauté rurales of Dodji, Labgar, and Ouarkhokh. Though a separate administrative unit, Dodji falls under the Commune of Dahra - Linguère. As of 2007, Dodji's highest administrative official, is Math Coueladio Ba, formerly of the Senegalese Socialist Party, now allied to the ruling PDS.
The Vietnamese people in Senegal consists of both expatriate technicians and labourers from Vietnam, as well as the mixed-race descendants of early 20th-century migrants. A total of several hundred are estimated to live in Senegal; the national capital Dakar even boasts a few Vietnamese restaurants.
There is a small but growing population of Chinese people in Senegal, largely consisting of expatriates from the People's Republic of China who began arriving in the country in the 1980s.
China–Senegal relations refer to the foreign relations between China and Senegal.
Ziguinchor is the capital of the Ziguinchor Region, and the chief town of the Casamance area of Senegal, lying at the mouth of the Casamance River. It has a population of over 230,000. It is the seventh largest city of Senegal, but largely separated from the north of the country by The Gambia.
Mexico–Senegal relations are the diplomatic relations between the United Mexican States and the Republic of Senegal. Both nations are members of the Group of 15 and the United Nations.
Ousmane Sonko is a Senegalese politician. He is a former chief tax inspector in Senegal, and an advocate for reformation in the Senegalese tax system. Sonko was the youngest candidate to run in the 2019 presidential election in Senegal when he challenged the incumbent president, Macky Sall. He is the author of three books. Sonko is seen by many as a rising opposition leader in Senegalese politics to Macky Sall.
Events in the year 2020 in Senegal.
