Geography of Senegal
Location: | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania |
Geographic coordinates: | 14 00 N, 14 00 W |
Map references: | Africa |
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: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
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 near Nepen Diakha 581 m |
Natural resources: | fish, phosphates, iron ore |
Land use: | arable land: 12.51% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 87.25% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 1,200 sq km (2003) |
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 |
Geography - note: | westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal |