Energy plays a major role in transforming the economy. In recent years many African countries have faced energy crises, yet are increasingly able to deal... Apr 09, 2016
Energy | Africa | Equatorial Guinea | Senegal
André Froissard, Managing Director of Compagnie Sucrière Sénégalaise... Oct 22, 2015
LOCATION:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
MAP REFERENCES:
Africa
AREA:
total: 196,722 sq km
CLIMATE:
tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind
NATURAL RESOURCES:
fish, phosphates, iron ore
LANGUAGES:
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
RELIGIONS:
Muslim 94% (most adhere to one of the four main Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1%
POPULATION:
13,975,834 (July 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
GOVERNMENT TYPE:
republic
CAPITAL:
name: Dakar
INDEPENDENCE:
4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
CONSTITUTION:
previous 1959 (preindependence), 1963; latest adopted by referendum 7 January 2001, promulgated 22 January 2001; amended many times, last in 2009 (2014)
LEGAL SYSTEM:
civil law system based on French law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court
GDP - real growth rate:
4.5% (2014 est.)
3.5% (2013 est.)
3.4% (2012 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture: 15.6%
industry: 23.8%
services: 60.6% (2014 est.)
AGRICULTURE - products:
peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish
INDUSTRIES:
agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, zircon, and gold mining, construction materials, ship construction and repair
EXPORTS:
$2.462 billion (2014 est.)
$2.563 billion (2013 est.)
EXPORTS - commodities:
fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
EXPORTS - partners:
Mali 16%, Switzerland 10.5%, UAE 5.2%, France 4.6% (2014)
IMPORTS:
$5.481 billion (2014 est.)
$5.698 billion (2013 est.)
IMPORTS - commodities:
food and beverages, capital goods, fuels
IMPORTS - partners:
France 18.4%, Nigeria 8.7%, China 7.7%, Netherlands 6.3%, India 5.8%, Turkey 4.6%, Belgium 4.3% (2014)
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