Best Countries

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.