Senegal is a sovereign country in Western Africa, in the wider region of Africa. The long form of the name is Republic of Senegal. The capital is Dakar.
Its territory runs to 196,722 km², which ranks it 89th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Kyrgyzstan and just ahead of Syria. That makes it a fraction smaller than Belarus.
Some 18.5 million people call it home, placing it 69th of 250 by population — between Somalia above it and Guatemala below. Among the 17 entries in Western Africa it ranks 9th by area and 7th by population.
Location, borders and position
Plotted on a globe it falls at 14.0° north, 14.0° west, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 1,558 km from the equator, in what geographers would call tropical latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Sudan, Yemen and Thailand — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
Its land neighbours number 5: the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Mauritania. The largest of them by area is Mali, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 49.4 million people.
Unlike its landlocked neighbours it reaches the sea directly, while also sharing land frontiers.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Population, density and language
Population divided by land area gives roughly 94 people per square kilometre, which makes it more crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
The demonym is Senegalese, so residents are Senegalese.
Officially it is monolingual: French. French is one of the widely shared official languages here, listed by 45 other entries including Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso and Burundi.
Inside Africa it places 25th of 59 by population, and it accounts for 4.1% of everyone living in Western Africa.
Money, internet and phone codes
It uses the West African CFA franc (Fr, XOF). That is a shared currency: 7 other entries use it, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast and Mali.
The top-level domain is .sn. Calls from overseas start with +221. In ISO terms it is sn in two letters and SEN in three.
Dakar is the seat of government and the answer most quizzes are looking for.
Senegal is one of the 193 UN member states in this dataset. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Senegal shares borders with 5 countries:
Fun facts about Senegal
- Websites based there use the .sn domain.
- People from Senegal are known as Senegalese.
- It lies about 1,558 km from the equator, in tropical latitudes.
- It shares land borders with 5 countries: the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Mauritania.
- Its capital city is Dakar.
- Within Western Africa it is the 9th largest of 17.
- Population density works out at roughly 94 people per square kilometre.
Senegal — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Senegal?
- The capital of Senegal is Dakar.
- Where is Senegal located?
- Senegal is in Western Africa, part of Africa. Its reference coordinates are 14.0° north and 14.0° west, roughly 1,558 km from the equator in tropical latitudes.
- Is Senegal a country?
- Yes. Senegal is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What is the population of Senegal?
- Senegal has a population of about 18.5 million, which makes it the 69th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Somalia sits just above it and Guatemala just below.
- How big is Senegal?
- Senegal covers 196,722 km², ranking 89th of 250 by land area. That makes it a fraction smaller than Belarus.
- Which countries border Senegal?
- Senegal borders 5 countries: the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Mauritania. Mali is the largest of them by area.
- What language is spoken in Senegal?
- The official language of Senegal is French. It is also official in 45 other entries on this list.
- What currency does Senegal use?
- Senegal uses the West African CFA franc, written Fr (currency code XOF). It is shared with 7 other entries.
