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Senegal

Senegal
General information
Common nameSenegal
Local nameRépublique du Sénégal  
NameRépublique du Sénégal  
Motto"Un Peuple, Un But, Une Foi" (French)
"One People, One Goal, One Faith"
AnthemPincez Tous vos Koras, Frappez les Balafons
Everyone strum your koras, strike the balafons
CapitalDakar
Largest cityDakar
Official languagesFrench
Regional languagesWolof, Soninke, Seereer-Siin, Fula, Maninka, Diola,
DemonymSenegalese
Government
GovernmentSemi-presidential republic
PresidentAbdoulaye Wade
Prime MinisterSouleymane Ndéné Ndiaye
IndependenceIndependence
from France with French Sudan as the Mali Federation20 June 1960
from Mali Federation20 August 1960
Geography
Total Area76000 sq mi (196840 km2) (87th)
Water %2.1
Demography
Population Est.13,711,597 (67th)
Population census9967215 (2002)
Density (pop.)69.6/km2 (134th) (180.4/sq mi)
Economy
GDP PPP$23.274 billion (2010)
GDP (PPP) per capita$1,772
GDP (nominal)$13.472 billion (2010)
GDP (nominal) per capita$1,026
Other information
Gini41.3 (1995) (medium)
HDI(+)0.411 (2010) (low) (144th)
CurrencyCFA franc (XOF)
Time zoneUTC (UTC)
Drives on theright
Internet TLD.sn
Calling code221

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Senegal c-enaudio=En-us-Senegal.oggˌsɛnɨˈɡɔːl ( ), officially the Republic of Senegal (République du Sénégal, -frʁepyblik dy seneɡalIPA), is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north. Senegal is externally bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south; internally it almost completely surrounds The Gambia, namely on the north, east and south, exempting Gambia's short Atlantic Ocean coastline. Senegal covers a land area of almost 197000 km2 (197000000000 m2), and has an estimated population of about 14 million. The climate is tropical with two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.

Dakar, the capital city of Senegal, is located at the westernmost tip of the country on the Cap-Vert peninsula. About 500 kilometres (300 mi) off the coast, in the Atlantic Ocean, lie the Cape Verde Islands. During the 17th and 18th centuries, numerous trading posts, belonging to various colonial empires, were established along the coast. The town of St. Louis became the capital of French West Africa (Afrique occidentale française, or AOF) before it was moved to Dakar in 1902. Dakar later became its capital in 1960 at the time of independence from France.


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