Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country of mainland 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.Janet H. Gritzner, Charles F. Gritzner – 2009, Senegal – Page 8 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 and has a population of around 18 million. The state is a semi-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.
Etymology The country of Senegal is named after the Senegal River. The name of the river may derive from a Portuguese transliteration of the name of the Zenaga, also known as the Sanhaja. Alternatively, it could be a combination of the supreme deity in Serer religion (Rog Sene) and o gal, meaning ‘body of water’ in the Serer language. French author and priest David Boilat proposed that the name comes from the Wolof phrase "sunuu gaal", which means "our canoe".
History
Early and pre-colonial eras Archaeological findings throughout the area indicate that Senegal was inhabited in prehistoric times and has been continuously occupied by various ethnic groups. Some kingdoms were created between the 6th and 14th centuries, such as Takrur in the 6th century, Namandiru, and the Jolof Empire in the 13th and 14th centuries. Eastern Senegal was once part of the Ghana Empire.
Islam was introduced by the Toucouleur and Soninke through their contact with the Almoravid dynasty of the Maghreb, who helped spread it with their Toucouleur allies. This movement faced resistance from ethnicities of traditional religions, the Serers in particular.Klein, Martin A., Islam and Imperialism in Senegal: Sine-Saloum, 1847–1914, p. 7, Edinburgh University Press (1968) Gravrand, Henry, La civilisation Sereer, Pangool, p. 13. Dakar, Nouvelles Editions Africaines (1990),
In the 13th and 14th centuries, the area came under the influence of empires to the east; the Jolof Empire was also founded during this time. In the Senegambia region, between 1300 and 1900, close to one-third of the population was enslaved, typically as a result of being taken captive in warfare."Slavery", Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Black History
In the 14th century, the Jolof Empire grew more powerful, having united Cayor and the kingdoms of Baol, Siné, Saloum, Waalo, Futa Tooro and Bambouk, covering much of what is now Senegal and part of present-day West Africa. The empire was a voluntary confederacy of various states rather than a state built on military conquest.Ham, Anthony. West Africa. Lonely Planet. 2009. p. 670. The empire was founded by Ndiadiane Ndiaye, a part SererResearch in African literatures, Volume 37. University of Texas at Austin, p. 8. African and Afro-American Studies and Research Center, University of Texas (at Austin) (2006)Diop, Cheikh Anta & Modum, Egbuna P. Towards the African renaissance: essays in African culture & development, 1946–1960, p. 28. Karnak House (1996). and part Toucouleur, who was able to form a coalition with many ethnicities, but collapsed around 1549 following the defeat and death of Lele Fouli Fak at the hands of Amari Ngone Sobel Fall.
Colonial era
In the mid-15th century, the Portuguese landed on the Senegalese coast, followed by traders representing other countries, including the French. Various European powers—Portugal, the Netherlands, and Great Britain—competed for trade in the area from the 15th century onward.
In 1677, France gained control of what had become a minor hub in the Atlantic slave trade: the island of Gorée, near modern Dakar, used as a base to purchase slaves from the warring chiefdoms on the mainland.Les Guides Bleus: Afrique de l'Ouest (1958 ed.), p. 123.
European missionaries introduced Christianity to Senegal and the Casamance in the 19th century. It was only in the 1850s that the French began to expand onto the Senegalese mainland, after they abolished slavery and began promoting an abolitionist doctrine, adding native kingdoms like the Waalo, Cayor, Baol, and Jolof. French colonists under Governor Louis Faidherbe progressively invaded and took over all the kingdoms, except the Serer Kingdoms of Sine and Saloum.Charles, Eunice A. Precolonial Senegal: the Jolof Kingdom, 1800–1890. African Studies Center, Boston University, 1977. p. 3Klein, Martin A. Islam and Imperialism in Senegal: Sine-Saloum, 1847–1914, Edinburgh University Press (1968). p. X
Yoro Dyao was in command of the canton of Foss-Galodjina and was set over Wâlo (Ouâlo) by Louis Faidherbe, where he served as a chief from 1861 to 1914. Senegalese resistance to the French expansion was led in part by Lat-Dior, Damel of Cayor, and Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof (the Maad a Sinig, King of Sine), resulting in the famous Battle of Logandème―the battle in which the Serer King of Sine went to war against the French colonial empire, where the French decided to take revenge against Sine following their humiliating defeat at the Battle of Djilor. The Battle of Logandème was the first battle on Senegambian soil in which the French employed cannonballs.Diouf, Niokhobaye, "Chronique du royaume du Sine", Suivie de notes sur les traditions orales et les sources écrites concernant le royaume du Sine par Charles Becker et Victor Martin. (1972). Bulletin de l'Ifan, Tome 34, Série B, n° 4 (1972), p. 725 (p. 16)Diouf, Cheikh, "Fiscalité et Domination Coloniale: l'exemple du Sine: 1859-1940", Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (2005)Klein, Martin A., "Islam and Imperialism in Senegal, Sine-Saloum, 1847-1914." Edinburgh University Press, pp. 55-59, Le Quotidien (Senegal), "La communauté sérère face à la Commission nationale chargée de la rédaction de l’histoire du Sénégal." (18 September 2019), by Mahawa Sémou Diouf
The Battle of Dakar (23–25 September 1940) was an unsuccessful Allied attempt to capture the strategic port and overthrow the pro-German Vichy French colonial administration.Smith, Colin (2010). England's Last War Against France: Fighting Vichy 1940-1942. London: Phoenix.
On 25 November 1958, Senegal became an autonomous republic within the French Union.
Independence In January 1959, Senegal and the French Sudan merged to form the Mali Federation, which became fully independent on 20 June 1960, as a result of a transfer of power agreement signed with France on 4 April 1960. Due to internal political difficulties, the Federation broke up on 20 August 1960 when Senegal and French Sudan (renamed the Republic of Mali) each proclaimed independence.
Léopold Sédar Senghor was elected Senegal's first president in August 1960. Pro-African, Senghor advocated a brand of African socialism.
1980 to present In 1980, Senghor decided to retire from politics. In 1981, he transferred power to his hand-picked successor, Abdou Diouf. Former prime minister Mamadou Dia, who was Senghor's rival, ran for election in 1983 against Diouf, but lost.
In the 1980s, Boubacar Lam discovered Senegalese oral history that was initially compiled by the Tuculor noble, Yoro Dyâo, not long after World War I, which documented migrations into West Africa from the Nile Valley; ethnic groups, from the Senegal River to the Niger Delta, retained traditions of having an eastern origin.
Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal Senegambia Confederation on 1 February 1982. However, the union was dissolved in 1989. Despite peace talks, a southern separatist group (Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance or MFDC) in the Casamance region has clashed sporadically with government forces since 1982 in the Casamance conflict. In the early 21st century, violence has subsided, and President Macky Sall held talks with rebels in Rome in December 2012."Uppsala Conflict Data Program: Senegal: Casamance, In-depth Developments since 2005" , Conflict Encyclopedia
Abdou Diouf was president between 1981 and 2000. He encouraged broader political participation, reduced government involvement in the economy, and widened Senegal's diplomatic engagements, particularly with other developing nations. Domestic politics on occasion spilled over into street violence, border tensions, and a violent separatist movement in the southern region of the Casamance. Nevertheless, Senegal's commitment to democracy and human rights strengthened. Abdou Diouf served four terms as president.
In the 1999 presidential election, opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade defeated Diouf, an election deemed free and fair by international observers. Senegal experienced its second peaceful transition of power, and its first from one political party to another. On 30 December 2004, President Wade announced that he would sign a peace treaty with the separatist group in the Casamance region. The Casamance conflict, however, has not yet been fully concluded as of 2025 despite several cease fires and treaties between the government and individual factions within the MFDC.
In March 2012, the incumbent president, Abdoulaye Wade, lost the presidential election, and Macky Sall was elected as the new President of Senegal. President Macky Sall was re-elected in 2019 elections. The presidential term was subsequently reduced from seven years to five years.
Since 3 March 2021, Senegal has been rocked by a series of mass protests in response to the arrest of Ousmane Sonko for alleged rape and mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2023, the response to the protests turned increasingly violent, with Amnesty International counting 23 fatalities, most of which were caused by bullets fired by police or armed police collaborators.