|RNature and climate:|N In Senegal the most western point of the African mainland, Cape Verde, is located.
The whole country is a lowland, a limestone plateau, at about 100 m.a.s.l. Most area is covered by savannah, with forests around the rivers. In the southmost part tropical rainforest in the interior and mangroveswamps by the coast.
The fauna is rich in the interior were there still are plenty of elephants, antilopes, lions, leopards, many kinds of apes as well as crocodiles and hippopotamus in the rivers.
Climate is tropical with an average temperature around the year of 20°C in the north and 32°C in the south.
Percipitation in the north 400 mm and in the south 1500 mm.
|RPeople:|N Many different Sudan negro tribes of which the biggest are Wolof 36%, Fulani 17%, Serer 17% and Toucouleur Diola and Mandingo 9% each. 1% Europeans and Libanese.
|REconomy:|N Economy is based on agriculture. Peanuts is the most important crop and accounts for a great part of the export revenues. Other important crops are rice, maize and cotton.
The fish in the sea off the coast is Senegals most important natural resource. The fish is used as food, but is also the raw material for a huge fishprocessing industry giving important exportrevenues.
The savannahs give pasture for large cattleherds.
There are big resources of phosphates and some iron ore.
Manufacturing is not much developed. Most important is fishprocessing and foodprocessing, but there are also some textile- and tobaccofactories as well as oilrefineries.
|RHistory:|N Senegal has been inhabited since ancient times and was during the Middle Ages a part of the Mali realm.
During the 16th century Portuguese started to trade in the area and in th 17th century France colonized the area.
1659 they founded the town Saint-Louis and in 1857 Dakar that became capital for French West Africa.
In 1946 a local parliament was inaugurated and its powers gradually increased until Senegal in 1958 was granted internal self-rule.
1959 Senegal and French Sudan, now Mali, founded the Mali Federation which became an independent country June 20 1960. August 20 the same year Senegal left the federation and the independent republic Senegal was proclaimed.
From independence until 1981 Senegal was a one-party-state, but since 1981 political parties have been allowed to work freely.
A marxist coup attempt 1981 in neighbouring Gambia was crushed with help of troops from Senegal.
1982 Senegal and Gambia were joined in a confederation with common defence, foreign and financial policy, but the two countries were in all other respects independent. This confederation was dissolved in 1989 on initiative from Senegal.
In the late 1980:s the country was struck by internal political unrest.
Senegal have since independence kept close ties with France in cultural, economic and political affairs.
