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Official Name: République
du Sénégal (Republic of Senegal)
Area: Africa
Size: 196,723 km²
Coastline: 531 km
Independence: from France
June 20, 1960
Form
of Govt.: Multiparty republic
Head
of Govt.: Prime Minister
Capital: Dakar
Largest City: Dakar
Demographics (2005): 11,658,000.
59 /km²
Wolof 43.3%, Fula 23.8%, Serer 14.7%,
Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese and
Vietnamese 1%, other 9.4%
GDP
per Capita (2005): $1,759
Languages: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar,
Vietnamese
Geography: The country can be divided into
six geographical regions. (1.) The Senegal River Valley. (2.) The
coastal belt which contains small swamps, oases, creeks, channels and
mud flats. (3.) The western plains which consist of dry and barren land.
(4.) The Ferlo which is an inland continuation of the western plains and
is semidesert. (5.) Casamance which is separated by Gambia and has
better vegetation. (6.) The eastern plains which consists of poor
pastureland. The principal rivers are the Senegal, Casamance, Sine and
Saloum.
Climate: Senegal has a tropical climate with a wet
season from June to September and high humidity along the coast.
Rainfall decreases from the south with the wet season extending to
October and an average precipitation varying from 1,500 mm to 1,000 mm
in the north, to 510 mm in the east. The prevailing winds are the
Harmattan in the dry season, which is a dust-laden wind from the Sahara
Desert while gale force squalls or tornadoes occur at the beginning and
end of the rainy season. Average temperature ranges in Dakar are from 18
to 26 degrees in January to 24 to 32 degrees in September.
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