Senegal

Official nameRepublic of Senegal
Name in local languageRépublique du Sénégal (fr)
ContinentAfrica
SubcontinentSub-Saharan Africa
Population (ranking: 71e)17,215,428 inhabitants (2021)
Population growth3.06 % / year
Area196,712 km²
Density87.52 inhabitants / km²
GDP (ranking: 113e)24.578 billions $USD (2019)
GDP/capita (ranking)1,447 $USD (2019)
GDP growth5.30 % / year (2019)
Life expectancy (ranking)67.80 years (2020)
Birth rate36.10 ‰ (2020)
Fertility rate4.93 children / woman (2020)
Death rate (ranking)6.60 ‰ (2020)
Infant mortality rate (ranking)37.10 ‰ (2020)
Literacy rate57.67 % (2015)
Official languagesFrench (Wolof spoken)
CurrencyCFA franc (XAF)
HDI (ranking: 205e)0.512 / 1 (2019)
EPI (ranking)49.52 (2018)
GovernmentSemi-presidential republic
Head of StatePresident Macky Sall
National Day4 April (independence of 1960)
ISO CodesSN, SEN
DemonymSenegalese
Tourists (ranking)1,365,000 people (2017)
Senegal – small
Sustained development but constrained by the global crisis

Senegal is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south. The Gambia forms a virtual enclave in the country, cutting the country in half and penetrating more than 300 km inland. The Cape Verde Islands are located 560 km off the coast of Senegal. The country owes its name to the river that borders on the east and north and has its source in Fouta Djallon in Guinea. The climate is tropical and dry with two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.

Plage au Sénégal
Beach in Senegal
Saint-Louis - Sénégal
Saint-Louis, Senegal
Dakar, capital of Senegal
Dakar, capital of Senegal. Photo: Initsogan
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Urban areas (2021)
Urban areasPopulation
Dakar3,938,358 inhabitants
Touba965,422 inhabitants
Mbour830,495 inhabitants
Thiès829,174 inhabitants
Kaolack625,022 inhabitants
Saint-Louis365,534 inhabitants
Diourbel343,736 inhabitants
Ziguinchor319,425 inhabitants
See all urban areas
Administrative divisions
RegionsPopulationArea
Dakar3,938,358 inhabitants547 km²
Diourbel1,919,090 inhabitants4,824 km²
Fatick932,629 inhabitants6,849 km²
Kaffrine755,172 inhabitants11,262 km²
Kaolack1,228,746 inhabitants5,357 km²
Kédougou196,991 inhabitants16,800 km²
Kolda848,348 inhabitants13,771 km²
Louga1,091,268 inhabitants24,889 km²
Matam760,588 inhabitants29,445 km²
Saint-Louis1,120,585 inhabitants19,241 km²
Sédhiou591,970 inhabitants7,341 km²
Tambacounda904,032 inhabitants42,364 km²
Thiès2,221,097 inhabitants6,670 km²
Ziguinchor706,554 inhabitants7,352 km²
See all administrative divisions
See also