Senegal Facts, Senegal Flag -- National Geographic

Fast Facts

Population:: 11,658,000
Capital:: Dakar; 2,167,000
Area:: 196,722 square kilometers (75,955 square miles)
Language:: French, Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, Jola, Mandinka
Religion:: Muslim, Christian
Currency:: CFA franc
Life Expectancy:: 53
GDP per Capita:: U.S. $1,500
Literacy Percent:: 40

Senegal lies on West Africa's Atlantic coast. One of the first multiparty democracies in today's Africa, this river-laced land of marshes and plains was once ruled by Wolof chieftains. Three centuries of French administration ended in 1960. The moderate socialist government has initiated economic reforms. A deep natural harbor at Dakar makes the cosmopolitan city a major West African port. Peanuts from the drought-prone interior are an important export.

ECONOMY

Industry: Agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining
Agriculture: Peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum; cattle; fish
Exports: Fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton

— Text From National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition

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