Geography of Senegal – The Ultimate Free Guide 2021
- Senegal is a country in West Africa. Senegal is bordered by Mauritania in the north, Mali to the east, Guinea to the southeast, and Guinea-Bissau to the southwest.
- Senegal nearly surrounds The Gambia, a country occupying a narrow sliver of land along the banks of the Gambia River, which separates Senegal’s southern region of Casamance from the rest of the country. Senegal also shares a maritime border with Cape Verde.
- Senegal’s economic and political capital is Dakar.
Geography of Senegal
Map of Senegal With Cities and Town
Region:
- Dakar
- Ziguinchor
- Diourbel
- Saint-Louis
- Tambacounda
- Kaolack
- Thiès
- Louga
- Fatick
- Kolda
- Matam
- Kaffrine
- Kédougou
- Sédhiou
Area:
196,712 km2
Capital:
Dakar
Population:
15,854,323
Bordering Countries:
Senegal is bordered by Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.
Water :
2.1
Geographical Coordinates:
14°40′N 17°25′W
World Region or Continent:
Africa
General Terrain:
Generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in the southeast.
Geographical Low Point:
The lowest point in Senegal is the Atlantic Ocean
Geographical High Point:
The highest point is an unnamed feature 2.7 km southeast of Nepen Diakha at 648 m (2,126 ft).
Climate:
- Tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind.
- Dry and humid seasons result from northeast winter winds and southwest summer winds.
- Interior temperatures are higher than along the coast .
Major cities:
- Dakar
- Pikine
- Touba
- Thies
- Thies Nones
- Saint-Louis
- Kaolack
- Ziguinchor
- Tiébo
- Tambacounda
- Mbaké
- Louga
Major Land forms:
- Agriculture is one of the dominant parts of Senegal’s economy. Even though Senegal lies within the drought-prone Sahel region, only about 5 percent of the land irrigated, thus Senegal continues to rely on rain-fed agriculture.
- Agriculture occupies about 75 percent of the workforce. Despite a relatively wide variety of agricultural production, the majority of farmers produce for subsistence needs.
- Millet, rice, corn, and sorghum are the primary food crops grown in Senegal.
Major Rivers and Lakes:
Major Rivers:
- Sénégal River
- Vallée du Ferlo
- Tiângol Lougguéré
- Vallée de Mboune
- Doué River
- Falémé River
- Saloum River
- Sine River
- Gambia River
- Sandougou River
- Koulountou River
- Niéri Ko
- Mayél Samou
- Niokolo Koba
- Geba River (Kayanga River)
- Casamance River
- Cool River
Major Lakes:
- Lac de Guiers
- Lake Retba
Famous Places:
- Dakar
- Goree Island
- Pink Lake
- St. Louis
- Ziguinchor
- Popenguine
- Saloum Delta National Park
- Senegal River
- Casamance
- Touba
Natural Resources:
- Fish,
- Peanuts,
- Phosphate,
- Iron ore,
- Gold,
- Titanium.
- Agricultural and fish processing,
- Phosphate mining,
- Fertilizer production,
- Petroleum refining,
- Construction materials.
Major Geographical Features:
Biomes & Ecosystems:
Senegal has a number of vegetation zones: sahel, Sahel-Sudan, Sudan (region), Sudan-Guinea, tropical rainforest, and Guinean mangroves. Most of the southern Casamance arm of the country has been classified by the World Wildlife Fund as part of the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic ecoregion.
Topography:
Senegal is fairly flat, and is drained by several large rivers, including the Gambia and the Senegal. Its geological structure is a sedimentary basin of sandstones covered by more recent wind and water deposited sediments, and intermittent plateaus capped with lateritic hard pan.
Oceans:
Atlantic Ocean
Islands:
- Île de Gorée
- Ile de Madeleine
- Carabane
- Morfil
- Diogue
- Mar Lodj
- Île de Guior
Mountain Ranges:
- Sambaya
- Inndia
- Nion Médina
- Toukanaya
- Bansifara
- Kounsédilé
- Sandoundou
- Kodi Kourou
- Bodiara
- Niamako
Regions of Senegal:
- Dakar,
- Diourbel,
- Fatick,
- Kaffrine,
- Kaolack,
- Kédougou,
- Kolda,
- Louga,
- Matam,
- Saint-Louis,
- Sédhiou,
- Tambacounda,
- Thiès, and
- Ziguinchor.
Physical Map of Senegal
Senegal Location on World Map
See Also:
