Countries
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Disputes - international: The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem separatist violence, cross border raids, and arms smuggling into their countries from Senegal's Casamance region, and in 2006, respectively accepted 6,000 and 10,000 Casamance residents fleeing the conflict; 2,500 Guinea-Bissau residents fled into Senegal in 2006 to escape armed confrontations along the border
Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 14,000 (Mauritania)
IDPs: 10,000-40,000 (clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region)
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis
Military branches: Senegalese Armed Forces: Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Senegal)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; 20 years of age for selective conscript service; service obligation - 2 years; women have been accepted into military service since 2008
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,699,196
females age 16-49: 3,018,565
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,788,493
females age 16-49: 2,133,370
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 145,509
female: 145,064
Military expenditures: 1.4% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 105
Airports: 20
country comparison to the world: 136
Pipelines: gas 43 km; refined products 8 km
Railways: total: 906 km
country comparison to the world: 92
Roadways: total: 14,008 km
country comparison to the world: 125
Waterways: 1,000 km (primarily on the Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers)
country comparison to the world: 65
Merchant marine: total: 1
country comparison to the world: 154
by type: passenger/cargo 1
Ports and terminals: Dakar
Telephones - main lines in use: 341,900
country comparison to the world: 110
Telephones - mobile cellular: 8.344 million
country comparison to the world: 80
Telephone system: general assessment: good system with microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system
domestic: above-average urban system with a fiber-optic network; nearly two-thirds of all fixed-line connections are in Dakar where a call-center industry is emerging; expansion of fixed-line services in rural areas needed; mobile-cellular service is expanding rapidly
Broadcast media: state-run Radiodiffusion Television Senegalaise (RTS) operates 2 TV stations; a few private TV subscription channels rebroadcast foreign channels without providing any local news or programs; RTS operates a national radio network and a number of regional FM stations; many community and private-broadcast radio stations are available; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible on FM in Dakar
Internet country code: .sn
Internet hosts: 217
country comparison to the world: 198
Internet users: 1.818 million
country comparison to the world: 76
senegal relies heavily on donor assistance. The country's key export industries are phosphate mining, fertilizer production, and commercial fishing. The country is also working on iron ore and oil exploration projects. In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic reform program with the support of the international donor community. Government price controls and subsidies have been steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in 1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform program, with real growth in GDP averaging over 5% annually during 1995-2007. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the single digits. The country was adversely affected by the global economic downturn in 2009, when GDP growth fell to 2.2%. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with a unified external tariff and a more stable monetary policy. High unemployment, however, continues to prompt migrants to flee Senegal in search of better job opportunities in Europe. Under the IMF''s Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal benefited from eradication of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector debt. In 2007, Senegal and the IMF agreed to a new, non-disbursing, Policy Support Initiative program which was completed in 2010. The IMF approved a new three-year policy support instrument in December 2010 to assist with economic reforms. Senegal receives disbursements from the $540 million Millennium Challenge Account compact it signed in September 2009 for infrastructure and agriculture development. In 2010, the Senegalese people protested against frequent power cuts. The government pledged to expand power capacity by 2012 and to promote renewable energy, but until Senegal has more capacity, more protests are likely. Foreign investment in Senegal is retarded by Senegal''s unfriendly business environment.
Government type: republic
Administrative divisions: 14 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaffrine, Kaolack, Kedougou, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Sedhiou, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor
Legal system: civil law system based on French law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Ethnic groups: Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%
Languages: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Religions: Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1%
Population: 12,969,606
country comparison to the world: 71
Median age: total: 18.2 years
male: 17.3 years
female: 19 years
Population growth rate: 2.532%
country comparison to the world: 28
Net migration rate: -1.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 159
Urbanization: urban population: 42% of total population
rate of urbanization: 3.3% annual rate of change
Major cities - population: DAKAR (capital) 2.777 million
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.18 years
country comparison to the world: 189
male: 58.22 years
female: 62.19 years
Total fertility rate: 4.69 children born/woman
country comparison to the world: 25
Health expenditures: 5.7% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 121
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, dengue fever, malaria, Rift Valley fever, and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies
Education expenditures: 5.8% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 35
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 39.3%
male: 51.1%
female: 29.2%
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: total: 14.8%
country comparison to the world: 77
male: 11.9%
female: 20.1%
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
Land boundaries: total: 2,640 km
border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline: 531 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) 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: 12.51%, permanent crops: 0.24%, other: 87.25%
Natural hazards: lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal
The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His attempt to change the constitution in June 2011 prompted large public protests and his decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.
Senegal
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