Senegal — map and facts

About Senegal

Senegal is a coastal country in West Africa, with Dakar as its capital and principal port city. The country has a population of approximately 17 million people. It is a presidential republic and is widely regarded as one of West Africa's most stable democracies, having never experienced a military coup since independence. The 2024 presidential election resulted in a peaceful transfer of power to Bassirou Diomaye Faye, continuing Senegal's democratic tradition. French is the official language, while Wolof functions as the dominant lingua franca. Islam is the religion of around 95 percent of the population, with significant Sufi brotherhoods — notably the Mouride and Tijaniyya — playing a major social and economic role. The economy depends on fishing, groundnuts, phosphates, tourism, and remittances from the diaspora. Recent offshore oil and gas discoveries, beginning production in 2024, are expected to transform the economy over the coming decade. Senegal is also culturally renowned for its music, particularly mbalax, and for its literary tradition, most famously represented by Léopold Sédar Senghor, the country's first president and a celebrated poet.

Geography and Landscape

Senegal is relatively flat, dominated by a low-lying terrain that slopes gently from east to west toward the Atlantic Ocean. The Fouta Djallon highlands of neighbouring Guinea provide the headwaters of the Gambia and Senegal rivers, which define the country's southern and northern borders respectively. The Senegal River flows westward along the border with Mauritania before reaching the Atlantic at Saint-Louis. The Gambia River bisects the country from east to west, surrounding The Gambia. The Cap-Vert Peninsula, where Dakar is situated, juts into the Atlantic and represents the westernmost point of the African mainland. The Casamance region in the far south, separated from the rest of Senegal by Gambia, is more humid and forested than the drier north. The climate ranges from the hot, semi-arid Sahel zone in the north to a humid tropical climate in Casamance. Annual rainfall in Dakar averages around 400 millimetres, nearly all falling during the summer monsoon months of July to September.

History

The territory of present-day Senegal was part of successive medieval empires, including the Ghana Empire and the Mali Empire, which controlled trans-Saharan trade routes from the 8th to 14th centuries. The Wolof Empire, centred along the Senegal River valley, rose to prominence from the 14th century. Portuguese traders made contact with the coast in the mid-15th century, followed by French and Dutch interests in the 17th century. France established a trading post at Saint-Louis in 1659 and over the following centuries expanded its control inland, making Senegal a central territory of French West Africa. The city of Dakar became the administrative capital of French West Africa in 1902. Léopold Sédar Senghor, philosopher, poet, and co-founder of the Négritude literary movement, led Senegal to independence on 20 June 1960 and served as president until 1980 when he voluntarily handed power to Abdou Diouf — a historically significant peaceful transition. Abdoulaye Wade succeeded Diouf in 2000, followed by Macky Sall in 2012, each transition reinforcing Senegal's democratic credentials.