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.