India+Senegal+4A

 Senegal  By India Hilty

**Flag:**



Significance of colors: Green: abundance of land Yellow: the sun Red: sacrifice and power The flag of Senegal was most recently adopted on 20 August 1960. It has the Pan-African colors first used by Ghana and Ethiopia. The star, each of the five points representing a continent, symbolizes Senegal’s openness to the world.

**Coat of Arms:**



Motto: Un Peuple, Une Foi, Un But, meaning “One people, one goal, one faith” in the French language. The coat of arms bears Pan-African colors and has the green star from flag. It was first used in the 1960s. **Political Map:**

**Click to Hear Senegal's National Anthem!: [|7-27 Senegal (Olympic Version).mp]**

**Physical Map:**

**Comparison Table**

GDP per capita is the approximation of the value of goods made per person in the country. Another way of describing it is that it is the same as the GDP of the country divided by the population of the country. //Senegal’s GDP per capita is notably lower than the United States’ GDP per capita even though the population is also a lot lower than the U.S.’s. This proves that Senegal doesn’t make very much money, which means that Senegal is poor and not very effective in exporting and working to get a high gross domestic product (GDP).//

 //Although Senegal is much smaller than the United States and has a smaller population, I noticed that there are more than twice the average amount of people per square mile. This means that there are more people in an area, so many people live in one small area together. I can also tell that the education in Senegal isn’t very efficient because of the adult literacy rates, which are almost half the rates for the United States.//

**Health Comparison** **Table:**

//From all of this information, I can conclude that Senegal has much worse health care than the United States. There is a substantially small amount of doctors, the infant rate and maternal mortality is much higher, and the life expectancy is almost 30 years less for both the male and female. I also noticed that although the birth rate is much higher in Senegal than the U.S., the population is decreasing in Senegal and increasing in the U.S. This is because the infant mortality rate in Senegal is more than the birth rate, and in the U.S., it’s less than half the birth rate.//

**Languages:**  Senegal’s official language is French. French is the language taught in school and is also used in government settings and business. In everyday conversation, Senegalese usually use the language of their ethnic group, i.e. Wolof, Fula, Serer, Diola, and Mandinka. The language most spoken nationally is Wolof, the native language of the dominating ethnic group. Non-Wolofs in Northern Senegal speak both Wolof and their own ethnic language. A few Senegalese speak English, but it is not widely known or comprehended.

**Monetary Unit:**

CFA Franc (XOF)

<span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 2.2px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Conversion: <span style="font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1 US Dollar = 495.990 CFA Franc (XOF) <span style="font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1 CFA Franc (XOF) = 0.002016 US Dollar (USD)

<span style="font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">**Type of Government:** Senegal’s government is a secular republic. It has bi-cameral legislature, a somewhat self-governing judiciary, several political parties, and a powerful presidency. Senegal’s president is head of state, while the prime minister, who is appointed by the president, is head of government. There is also a 150-seat Parliament and a Senate holding 100 seats. <span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">//A republic is a state where most of the power lies in the citizens allowed to vote, similar to a democracy, which is what the United States is. What is different though is that in a republic, the power is used by representatives that are not always chosen directly by the citizens. In a democracy, the electoral system is free and the power is represented by people directly chosen by the citizens.// So, for example, Senegal’s second president wasn’t completely elected by Senegal’s citizens, they were also the first president’s handpicked successor. In the U.S., the president is always elected completely by the people. <span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">**Political Leader:** <span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Current President: Abdoulaye Wade <span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Current Prime Minister: Souleymane Ndene Ndiaye <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">**Religions practiced:**

<span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">95% Muslim <span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">4% Christian (mostly Catholic) <span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1% Animist or traditional <span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The Constitution of Senegal promises freedom of religion. It also guarantees separation of church and state. Both Muslim and Christian holy days are national holidays even though Islam has the upper hand in social and political activities. A large amount of Senegalese also combine their formal religion with indigenous practices and ceremonies. <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">**Economy**

<span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Senegal has one of the most developed manufacturing sectors in French West Africa. Agriculture is what almost four-fifths of Senegal’s workforce is employed in. Peanuts have remained the main investment crop since the 1500’s and take up almost 40% of the total cropland. Additional agricultural products in Senegal are millet corn sorghum, cassava, cotton, rice, poultry, and vegetables. Some of the most important industries are peanut-oil extraction, food processing, and phosphate mining. In the food industry, fish processing is Senegal’s key factor.

<span style="color: #292929; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">**History** <span style="font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 48px;">For many years, Black Africans have lived in the area now known as the country of Senegal. Powerful empires and independent kingdoms have lived around Senegal from 300 AD to the 1900’s. Islam was introduced to this area in the 10th century, which explains why 95% of Senegal’s population is Muslim. Slave trade started, and several million West Africans ere shipped to the Americas as slaves between the 16th and 19th centuries. <span style="font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 48px;">By the 1800’s, France started to control the area, conquering multiple kingdoms. Soon after, Senegal became one of the various colonies in a federation called French West Africa. The two French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan came together in 1959 and granted their independence in 1960, but because of internal political difficulties, the union broke up only a few months later. After World War II, many residents began to fight for independence, and on April 4, 1960, the colony of Senegal became a sovereign nation. Upon independence, Leopold Senghor became Senegal’s president, holding the position until finally stepping down in 1981. Then, Abdou Diouf, Senghor’s handpicked successor, was elected president and his party came to dominate parliament. Abdou Diouf was reelected in 1988 and 1993, and in 2000, was finally outvoted by five-time presidential candidate Abdoulaye Wade. For more than 40 years, Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party until current president A. Wade. The country of Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional meditation, although the country itself has not always been peaceful. For example, in 1982, groups among Senegal’s majority Diola ethnic group started a campaign for independence. They claimed discrimination by the Wolof people in Northern Senegal. Violence lasting for more than two decades cost over 3,500 lives, and this conflict is still not completely settled although several peace treaties have been attempted to be made. Senegal is a fairly new country, but hopefully it will last for many more years. <span style="font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">**Geography** <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">Senegal is encircled by many different countries; Mali, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. The Atlantic Ocean is also on its Western coastline. Senegal also almost surrounds Gambia, which jabs 200 miles into the center of Senegal. Dry and humid seasons come from northeast winter winds and southwest summer breezes. Maximum temperatures in Dakar, the nation’s capital, are around 82 degrees Farenheight from June to October and are at average lows of 63 degrees Farenheight from December to February. Dakar has an average annual rainfall of only 61 centimeters, where in the south, it exceeds 150 centimeters in some areas.

<span style="color: #292929; display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"> **Wordle:**



<span style="color: #292929; display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #292929; display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #292929; display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"> **Click Here to Download a Google Earth Tour of Senegal:** <span style="color: #292929; display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> [|India Senegal Tour.kmz] <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"> **Bibliography:** <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"> CIA World Factbook Online - Senegal <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"> Creative Commons Website (money, president, and prime minister pictures) <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"> Wikipedia <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"> U.S. Department of State - Senegal <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"> University of Austin Africa Maps/Senegal <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"> CULTURE GRAMS! - Senegal <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"> Google Earth <span style="color: #292929; font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"> Wordle.net