Senegal

Senegal was baptized by a french tourist wich asked to natives what was the name of the river in Dakar. Natives thought they were speaking about theirs canoes and answered "senegal" (meaning "those are our canoes"). A moment later, the french was proudly explaining to his buddies that the name of the river was Senegal and the friendly people of the country, realizing the misunderstanding but not wishing to hurt the pride of the tourist, decided to turn the name of the river and of the land into Senegal and everybody forgot the former appelation. This anecdote shows how kind the inhabitants of this beautiful african west coast country can be and what they are ready to do for a stranger. Hospitality and kindness are indeed national values in Senegal. To be convinced of it, visit the marvellous island of Goree and discover, in a fantastic landscape, how thousands of senegalese young men left their country to give a helpful hand in the south of the US. Go in Joal to pay a tribute to Leopold Senghor, the great french writing poet who became Senegal's first president after the independance in 1960. Don't forget you can reach Senegal by car from France every year during the summer, following the caravan of the Paris-Dakar rally race.

Area: 196.764 Km²
Population: 10.285.000 (2001 est.)
Density: 52 pop/Km²

System of government: Presidential Republic
Capital: Dakar (768.000 pop.)
Major cities: Thiès 185.000 pop., Kaolack 152.000 pop., Saint-Louis 140.000 pop.
Ethnic majority: Wolof 44%, Serer 15%, Fulbe 12%, Tukulor 11%, Jola 5%, Mandinka 4%, others 9%
Border countries: Mauritania NORTH, Mali EAST, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau SOUTH, The Gambia NORTH, WEST and SOUTH

Major heights: 581 m
Principal rivers: Senegal 700 Km (senegalese part, total 1440 Km)
Principal lakes: Lac de Guiers 200 Km²
Principal islands: Gorce
Climate: Tropical

Language: French (official), ethnic dialect
Religion: Muslim 90%, Christian 6%, Indigenous Beliefs 4%
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine Franc (XAF)

Fixed public holidays: 1/1, 4/4, 1/5, 15/8, 1/11, 25/12
Dialling code: 00221
GMT: 0

World Heritage List:

• Island of Gorée (1978)
• Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (1981)
• Niokolo-Koba National Park (1981)
• Island of Saint-Louis (2000)