Senegal Information |
General
Information for Senegal
| Country: | Senegal |
| Location: | West Africa |
| Independence: | August 20, 1960 |
| Nationality: | Senegalese |
| Capital City: | Dakar |
| Population: | 7,953,000 |
| Important Cities: | Zinguinchor, Saint Louis, Rufisque |
| Head of State: | Abdou Diouf |
| Area: | 197,722 sq.km. |
| Type of Government: | Republic |
| Currency: | 500 FCFA=1 USD |
| Major peoples: | Wolof, Fulani, Serer, Toucoulor, Diola |
| Religion: | Muslim 92%, Christian 25%, African religion 6% |
| Climate: | Tropical |
| Literacy: | 38% |
| Official Language: | French |
| Principal Languages: | Wolof, Diola, Fulfulde |
| Major Exports: | Fish, Phosphates, Cotton, Peanut |
| Pre-Colonial History | In the 13th and 14th centuries, during the time when the Jolof Empire was founded, the area that is now Senegal came under the influence of the great Mandingo empires to the east. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to trade in Senegal, arriving in the 15th century. They were soon followed by the Dutch and French. During the 19th century, the French gradually established control over the interior regions and administered them as a protectorate until 1920 and as a colony thereafter. After 1902, Dakar was the capital of all French West Africa. In 1964, a territorial assembly was elected by a restricted franchise and given advisory powers. These were gradually expanded, and the franchise broadened in succeeding years. After the 1958 French constitutional referendum, Senegal became a member of the French Community with virtually complete internal autonomy. |
| Post-Colonial History | In January 1959, Senegal and the French Soudan merged to form the Mali Federation, which became fully independent on June 20, 1960, as a result of the independence and the transfer of power agreement signed with France on April 4, 1960. Due to internal political difficulties, the federation broke up on August 20, 1960; Senegal and Soudan (renamed the Republic of Mali) each proclaimed separate independence. Leopold Sedar Senghor was elected Senegal's first president in August 1960. After the breakup of the Mali Federation President Senghor and Prime Minister Mamadou Dia governed together under a parliamentary system. Abdou Diouf assumed the presidency in 1981. He encouraged broader political participation, reduced government involvement in the economy, and widened Senegal's diplomatic engagements, particularly with other developing nations. Despite chronic economic problems, tempestuous domestic politics that have, on occasion, spilled over into street violence, border tensions, and nagging and occasionally violent separatist movements in the southern Casamance region, Senegal's commitment to democracy and human rights appears strong as the republic enters its fourth decade of independence. |