Country Overview
Positioned on the Atlantic Ocean at the westernmost point of the Sahel, Senegal surrounds its much smaller neighbor, Gambia, and borders Guinea, Mali, and Mauritania. It has a population of at least 15.4 million (2016), about a quarter of it concentrated around the capital of Dakar, and up to half in other urban areas. Senegal is one of West Africa’s key economic hubs.
Political Context
Senegal is also one of the most stable countries in Africa; it has had just three major political transitions, each of them peaceful, since its independence from France in 1960. Its serving president, Macky Sall, was elected in March 2012, and in 2016, a constitutional referendum cut presidential mandates from seven to five years.