Independent from France in 1960, Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982.

However, the envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. Despite peace talks, a southern separatist group sporadically has clashed with government forces since 1982. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping.

Led by President Abdoulaye Wade (since 1 April 2000), Senegal is situated in Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania. It covers a total area of 196,190 sq km. It has a population of 10,589,571 and the official language is French. The capital is Dakar.

In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic reform program with the support of the international donor community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's currency, the CFA franc, which is linked at a fixed rate to the French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in 1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform program, with real growth in GDP averaging 5% annually during 1995-2001.

On the negative side, Senegal faces deep-seated urban problems of chronic unemployment, trade union militancy, juvenile delinquency, and drug addiction

Source: CIA World Factbook

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