Senegal Travel Overview
At a glance
Capital: Dakar
Official language: French
Currency: CFA franc
Continent: West Africa
Senegal
So far, Senegal is little known as a vacation destination. But Senegal has been known since 2002 at the latest for the joys of football. Because this year the Senegal national team made it into the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
According to Countryaah, Senegal is a country in the west of Africa directly on the ancient coast. Until 1960, when Senegal gained independence, Senegal had long been a colony of France. Therefore, the official language is still French.
Lac Retba (the pink lake)
One of the most famous sights is Lake Retba, also known as Lac Rose (pink lake). Lac Retba is located northeast of the capital Dakar and is a salty lake. You can therefore swim on the water on Lac Rose, similar to the Dead Sea on the border with Israel. The lake gets its characteristic pink color from microorganisms.
The slave island of Gorée
Another attraction is the island of Gorée, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO a few years ago. Gorée was an important trading center for the slave trade. Hence this island is known as slave island. From the capital Dakar, Gorée can be easily reached by ferry. You can still see (among many other sights) the slave house and the place where the slaves were traded.
Vacation in the capital Dakar
The capital of Senegal is Dakar. Dakar is located in the west of Senegal directly on the Atlantic coast. This makes Dakar the most westerly city on the mainland of Africa. If you spend your vacation in Senegal, the journey will probably begin in Dakar, because there is an international airport here. There are only a few attractions in Dakarfor example Independence Square (Place de l´Indépendance), Presidential Palace, Dakar Cathedral, IFAN Museum (African Arts Museum) and many markets (e.g. Sandaga Market, Soumbédioune Market, Kermel Market, Tilène Market). Aside from the sights that you can see on a vacation in Senegal, Dakar also offers many well-known events. Every other year, for example, art lovers from all over the world come to Dakar to attend the art festival Biennale de l’Art Africain Contemporain. Another world-famous event is one in the field of motorsport – namely the Dakar Rally. The Dakar rally originally led from Paris to Dekar. Today the route changes every year.
Beach vacation and beach vacation in Senegal
Senegal offers a variety of tropical beaches that are ideal for a beach holiday and bathing holiday. Good opportunities for bathing and swimming (and therefore suitable for a beach holiday or beach holiday) include the Dakar Lido, the beaches in the Casamance region, the Hann Bay on the so-called “Little Coast” and the N’Gor beach.
Important facts
Capital: Dakar
Official language: French
Currency
Currency (sub-unit)
CFA franc (100 centimes)
ISO 4217 code
XOF / 952
Geography
Continent: Africa
Region: west
Geo coordinates: N 14 ° 29 ‘50.6 ” W -14 ° -27’ -8.5″
Highest mountain: Nepen Diakha (581 m)
Total area: 196,190 km²
Mainland: 192,000 km²
National border: 2,640 km
Coastline: 531 km
Politics
Dependency: France until 1960
UN member since: 1960
Form of government: Presidential Republic
Economy
Export goods: Peanuts, phosphates
BSP: $ 9.273 million
GDP: $ 9,861,000,000
GDP purchasing power parity: $ 21.720 billion
Economic growth: 5.9%
GDP share of agriculture: 17.5%
GDP share of industry: 19.4%
GDP share of services: 63.1%
Inflation rate: 2.2%
State budget revenue: $ 1891000000
State budget expenditure: $ 2123 billion
National debt: 48.9%
Export: $ 1,689,000,000
Import: $ 2,670,000,000
Foreign debt: $ 3,772,000,000
Gold and currency reserves: $ 1,382,000,000
Electricity consumption: 1,570 million KWh
Gas production: 50 million m³
Gas consumption: 50 million m³
Oil consumption: 33,300 million m³
Cultivation area: 12.71%
Bovine: 3,427,000 pieces
Sheep: 5,180,000 pieces
Fishing: 381,000 t
Demographic data
Residents: 11,987,200
Residents in cities: 5,306,600
Average age: 19.1 years
0-14 years: 40.8%
15-64 years: 56.1%
> 65 years: 3.1%
Population growth: 2.34%
Birth rate: 32.78 / 1,000 residents
Death rate: 9.42 / 1,000 residents
Ratio men / women: 1
Fertility: 4.38 children / woman
Infant mortality: 52.94 ‰
Life expectancy men: 57.7 years
Life expectancy women: 60.85 years
Country codes and abbreviations
ISO 3166 Alpha 2: SN
ISO 3166 Alpha 3: SEN
ISO 3166 numeric: 686
Top Level Domain: sn
IOC country code: SEN
UN / LOCODE: SN
Source: Abbreviationfinder
Communication
Telephone connections: 243,000
Cell Phones: 804,000
Radios: 1,280,000
TV: 460,000
Computer: 330,000
Internet users: 500,000
Transportation
Railway lines: 906 km
Paved roads: 4,496 km
of which expressways: 21 km
Cars: 312,000
Pipelines: 564
Health
Number of doctors: 1,290
Daily food intake: 2,310 kcal / resident
HIV- infected people: 61,000
Education
Illiteracy: 58%
History
Foundation: 1960
Last sovereign since: 1960
Religion
Main religious group: Muslims
Crime
Prison inmates: 5,900
Military
Armed forces (troop strength): 15,000
Defense Spending: $ 125,400,000
GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
Senegal’s national airline is called Air Sénégal International (DS) (Internet: www.air-senegal-international.com) and flies daily from Paris to Dakar.
I.a. Air France (AF) flies from Frankfurt / M., Vienna and Zurich via Paris to Dakar, Brussels Airlines (SN) flies via Brussels and TAP Portugal (TP) via Lisbon.
Flight times
Frankfurt – Dakar: 5 hours; Vienna – Dakar: 5 hours 45 minutes; Zurich – Dakar: 5 hours 10 minutes
Departure fee
No.
Arrival by car
The roads of Mauritania are paved and well maintained; the best border crossing is at Rosso. The unpaved road from Guinea-Bissau crosses the border at São Domingo. Another road leads from Mali via Tambacounda to Senegal. There is also a 5500 km long road through the Sahara that runs from Algeria through Mali. The Trans-Gambian Expressway “crosses” the Gambia River by ferry.
Buses and taxis run regularly to the border crossings.
Arriving by train
There is a connection from Dakar to Bamako (Mali). Two passenger trains (a Senegalese and a Malian) with dining and sleeping cars run on the route. The journey officially takes 30-35 hours, but delays of 4-12 hours are not uncommon. You should use the Senegalese train as it is better equipped.
Arrival by ship
The main port is Dakar.
Regular connections from France, the Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain and several South American and West African ports.