Portal:Senegal

The Senegal Portal

Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated along the Atlantic Ocean coast. It borders Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, Guinea to the southeast and Guinea-Bissau to the southwest. Senegal nearly surrounds the Gambia, a country occupying a narrow strip of land along the banks of the Gambia River, which separates Senegal's southern region of Casamance from the rest of the country. It also shares a maritime border with Cape Verde. The capital and largest city of Senegal is Dakar.

Senegal is the westernmost country in the mainland of the Old World, or Afro-Eurasia. It owes its name to the Senegal River, which borders it to the north and east. The climate is typically Sahelian, with a rainy season. Senegal covers a land area of almost 197,000 square kilometres (76,000 sq mi) and has a population of around 18 million.0 The state is a presidential republic; since the country's foundation in 1960, it has been recognized as one of the most stable countries on the African continent. On the 2024 V-Dem Democracy Indices, Senegal is ranked 68th in electoral democracy worldwide and 10th in electoral democracy in Africa.

The state was formed as part of the independence of French West Africa from French colonial rule. Because of this history, French is the official language, but it is understood by only a small minority of the population. Over 30 languages are spoken in Senegal. Wolof is the most widely spoken, with 80% of the population speaking it as a first or second language, acting as Senegal's lingua franca alongside French. Arabic and Pulaar also remain popular among certain communities. Like other African nations, the country includes a wide mix of ethnic and linguistic communities, with the largest being the Wolof, Fula, and Serer people. Senegalese people are predominantly Muslim.

As a developing nation, Senegal is classified as a heavily indebted poor country, with a relatively low ranking on the Human Development Index (169th out of 193). Most of the population lives on the coast and works in agriculture or other food industries; other major industries include mining, tourism, and services. The historic lack of natural resources in Senegal has redirected efforts towards increasing literacy and educational attainment. Senegal is a member state of the African Union, the United Nations, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Community of Sahel–Saharan States. (Full article...)

Location of Senegal
Senegalese life, the well regarded baobab tree, and a lion
The flag of Senegal
The coat of arms of Senegal

Selected article -

Senegambia, officially the Senegambia Confederation or Confederation of Senegambia, was a loose confederation in the late 20th century between the West African countries of Senegal and its neighbour The Gambia, which is almost completely surrounded by Senegal. The confederation was founded on 1 February 1982 following an agreement between the two countries signed on 12 December 1981. It was intended to promote cooperation between the two countries, but was dissolved by Senegal on 30 September 1989 after The Gambia refused to move closer toward union. (Full article...)

Selected images

Selected quotation -

Recognized content -

Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

Faidherbe Bridge (French: Pont Faidherbe) is a road bridge over the Senegal River which links the island of the city of Saint-Louis in Senegal to the African mainland. The metal bridge is 507.35 m (1,664.5 ft) long and 10.5 m (34 ft) wide, weighing 1,500 t (1,500 long tons; 1,700 short tons). It has eight spans, of which the longest five are 78.26 m (256.8 ft).

Until the 19th century, access to the island was made through boats. After the introduction of a ferry that could transport 150 passengers, Louis Faidherbe quickly saw that the system was clearly overrun and decided to construct the first bridge over the Sénégal River. The governor of Senegal, Henri de Lamothe decided to take a loan worth five million gold francs to construct a new metallic bridge in Saint-Louis. After the construction company was selected, they all decided to construct a new metallic bridge with a section capable of turning 90 degrees to allow the passage of ships. The bridge was opened on July 14, 1897. In the 2000s, a US$27 million rehabilitation plan has been inaugurated. (Full article...)

Selected biography -

The totem and symbol of the Joof family is the antelope and gazelle, symbolizing grace, royalty, wisdom, hard work and protection in Serer mythology.

Lamane Jegan Joof (Serer: Laamaan Jeegaan Jaay Juuf, also Ndigan Dieye Diouf,) was a Serer lamane who according to Serer tradition founded the Serer village of Tukar now part of present-day Senegal. The Raan Festival (a major event in the Serer religious calendar) takes place each year at Tukar, two weeks after the appearance of the new moon in April. (Full article...)

General images

The following are images from various Senegal-related articles on Wikipedia.

Did you know -

Topics

Categories

Select [►] to view subcategories
Senegal
Senegal-related lists
Buildings and structures in Senegal
Economy of Senegal
Environment of Senegal
Geography of Senegal
Health in Senegal
History of Senegal
Senegalese people
Politics of Senegal
Society of Senegal
Senegal stubs

WikiProjects

You are invited to participate in WikiProject Senegal, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Senegal.
WikiProject Africa

Religions in Senegal

West Africa

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Things you can do

  • Watch and respond to the alert page of articles relating to Senegal.
  • Explore, edit, and improve articles in Category:Senegal.
  • Join WikiProject Senegal, WikiProject Gambia and WikiProject Africa.
Discover Wikipedia using portals
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.