Flag Description

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; green represents Islam, progress, and hope; yellow signifies natural wealth and progress; red symbolizes sacrifice and determination; the star denotes unity and hope

Background:The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.

Total Area: 196,722 sq km

Land Area:192,530 sq km

Water Area:4,192 sq km

Land Boundries Total:2,684 km

Border Countries:The Gambia 749 km, Guinea 363 km, Guinea-Bissau 341 km, Mali 489 km, Mauritania 742 km

Coastline:531 km

Lowest Point:Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Highest Point:unnamed elevation southwest of Kedougou 581 m

Population:13,635,927 (July 2014 est.)

Population Growth Rate:2.48% (2014 est.)

Religion:Muslim 94% (most adhere to one of the four main Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1%

Literacy(%):0.497

Literacy(%) Male:0.618

Literacy(%) Female:38.7% (2009 est.)

Independence Day:4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960

National Holiday:Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

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