Senegal Geography:
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
Geographic coordinates:
14 00 N, 14 00 W
Map references:
Area:
total:
196,190 sq km
land:
192,000 sq km
water:
4,190 sq km
Area - comparative:
Slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries:
total: 2,640 km
border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline:
531 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate:
Tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind
Terrain:
Generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed feature 581 m near Nepen Diakha
Natural resources:
Fish, phosphates, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 12.78%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 87.01%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
710 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
Wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography - Note:
Westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal |
