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Senegal
REPUBLIC
OF SENEGAL [Map]
Open to the Atlantic along its coastline, bordering
Mauritania, Mali ,Guinea , Guinea Bissau and the Gambia.
The Gambia is completely enclosed by Senegal on all
sides.. The country gained its independence from France
on June 20th 1960 and now plays a more than significant
part in the politics of the African continent. With
a population of 8.31 million and a land mass of 197,000
sq Kms , it has a reasonably low population density
of 43 people per Sq Km.
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| TOPOGRAPHY |
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Senegal is relatively flat , being made up of mostly
coastal plain and low scrub and bushland. Its Atlantic
coast stretches for 500 kms , made up of Mangroves swamps
, long sandy storm beaches ,and the huge estuaries of
the Senegal and Sine Saloum rivers. |
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Senegal river form the whole of the boarder with Mauritania,
and its pricipal tributary the Faleme forming the border
with Mali. |
| CLIMATE
The climate is tropical , characterised by a long
dry season from November to june and a wet season
from July to October. This Rainy seasons is longer
the further south you go in the country. Average daytime
temperatures are 24 C in January and 28.5 C in July
. Rainfall is heavier in the south up to 56inches
and in the north it can be as little as 15 inches
per year. Certain areas such as Ferlo are turning
into desert , due to the decrease in rainfall over
the last few years and the increased effects of the
Warm drying Hammattan winds coming down from the Sahara.
FAUNA
and FLORA
The Northern section of the country is that of the
Sahel , changing from desert to dry savannah , with
vegitation occurring mainly in the river valleys of
the Senegal river and the Faleme. The further south
you travel the more fertile the country becomes ,
in the area of the Gambia some gallery forests begin
to occur and by the time you reach the Guinea Bissau
border , the land is covered with dense tropical forest
. Large animals such as Elephant , Lion , Leopard
and Antelope are rare and are mainly found in the
South Eastern areas such as the vast Niolo Koba National
park. Hippos and Crocodiles can be found in the South
. The Senegal delta is a mecca for birdwatchers ,
particularly those with a view to seeing migrating
european and Russian species. Manatees can sometimes
be seen in the Senegal river.
POLITICS |
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Democracy
and Multiparty elections have been established since
1970 and have been shown as a example of how they
can be made to work in an African state. The Union
Progress Senegalise has dominated the elections since
independence and was transformed into the Socialist
party with Abdoulaye Wade now installed as president.
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MONEY CHANGING
Senegal is a
member of the free trade zone . Its currency is the CFA
franc divisible into centimes. Euros are also widely accepted
in Senegal. Sterling however is not.
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