A large dune-covered plain, 201,400 square kilometers in area, rising only on its eastern edge. The Berber tribes made forays here into the region of the Senegal river - it was the Wolof people who gave the name su-nu-gal, "our canoe."

Geography
Senegal has 2640 km of border touching five countries: 740 km with Gambia (fairly well defined); 330 km with Guinea; 338 km with Guinea Bissau; 740 km with Mali; and last but not least 813 km with Mauritania, though still in territorial dispute.

Area: 196,190 square kilometers, including 4190 km of rivers and lakes

Seacoast: 531 km

Capital: Dakar: hot, wet, but charming

Climate: Tropical: warm and humid, with the rainy season lasting from December to April with strong southeast winds; and the dry season from May to November, with hot winds.

Land:
generally flat and rocky, with a few hills in the southeast, made up of
27% arable land
30% pasture
31% forest and wooded area
1,800 square kilometers irrigated land

Transportation
Railways: 905 km
Roads: 14,007 km of which 3,777 km are paved
Interior waterways: 897 km in total: 785 km on the Senegal River; 112 km on the Saloum
Ports: Dakar, Kaolack, Matam, Podor, Richard-Toll, Saint-Louis, Ziguinchor
Airports: 24; Rond-Point Madeleine is the international airport in Dakar
Natural resources: fish, phosphate, iron

Environment: wild animals regrouped into zones because of deforestation, soil erosion, advancing desert and the depletion of some arable soil

Ethnic Divisions
Wolof 36%
Fulani 17%
Serer 17%
Toucouleur 9%
Diola 9%
Mandingo 9%
Europeans and Lebanese 1%
Other 2%

Religions
Muslim 92%
Local native religions 6%
Christian 2%

Languages spoken:
French is the official language, but of other languages the main ones are Woof, Pulaar, Diola, Mandingo

Politics
Government: Republic under the jurisdiction of a multiparty democracy
Administrative districts (10): Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor

Independence: In 1960, Gambia and Senegal signed an accord with France to make Senegal and Gambia a single country with the name Senegambie, but this agreement lapsed September 30, 1989 and the countries remain separate to this day.

National holiday: Independence Day, April 4

Economic Data
Exports: Fish, peanuts, petroleum by-products, phosphates, cotton
Agriculture: Peanuts, millet, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables
Currency: 1 CFA Franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Tourist Tips
Passport required
Vaccinations: yellow fever, cholera, typhoid, polio, malaria