Senegal lies on West Africa's Atlantic coast. One of the first multiparty democracies in today's Africa, this river-laced land of marshes and plains was once ruled by Wolof chieftains. Three centuries of French administration ended in 1960. The moderate socialist government has initiated economic reforms. A deep natural harbor at Dakar makes the cosmopolitan city a major West African port. Peanuts from the drought-prone interior are an important export.
ECONOMYIndustry: agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining.
Agriculture: peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum; cattle; fish.
Exports: fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton.Text source:
National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004
