Senegal: Quick Facts

• Capital: Dakar
• Languages: French, Wolof, Balanta-Ganja, Hassaniya Arabic, Jola-Fonyi, Mandinka, Mandjak, Mankanya, Noon, Pulaar, Serer, Soninke.
• Ethnic Groups: Wolof, Fula, Serer, Jola, Mandinka, Soninke, European, Lebanese
• Religion: Muslim 92%, Christian 7% and Traditional African religion & others 1%
• Population: 16 million people
• Density: 196,712 km²
• Head of the State: President Macky Sall
• Celebrities: Léopold Sédar Senghor, Akon, Patrice Evra, Booba, Ismaël Lô, Youssou N’Dour, Cheikh Anta Diop, Patrick Vieira, Khoudia Diop, Fatou Diome.
• National dish: Thiéboudienne
• Currency: CFA franc (XOF)

Did you know:

• Senegal’s location towards the west coast made it a hub for the international slave trade of the 18th and 19th century. Gorée Island, in particular, became a major transit point of the Atlantic Slave Trade.
• In the 16th century when the Portuguese visited the country’s coast, the fishermen said “sunu gaal”, which translates into “these are our boats”. The Portuguese, who didn’t understand, simply named their land “Senegal”.
• The European powers that engulfed much of Senegal’s history are the French, Portuguese and the British. The French had their presence way back in the 15th century, at the port of St.-Louis. They left the country in August 1960.
• Senegal is the only country in West Africa which wasn’t overrun by a military coup. Its democratic stability has earned it many allies in Europe and the Americas.
• Senegal’s French connection has improved its movie-industry drastically. The Black Girl (1966), is the first Sub-Saharan African film by an African filmmaker to compete with the global cinema standards.
• The “Gateway to Africa” tag was earned due to the presence of the Senegal River, due to which the Portuguese and the French were able to make inroads to Sudan and Central Africa.
• Dakar is home to the tallest statue in Africa. The African Renaissance Monument built in 2010, stands at an impressive 49 m, but still a meter short of a half-century.