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Senegal

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Senegal

DATE OF FORMATION: 1960

POPULATION: 10.3 million

DENSITY: 139 people per square mile

LANGUAGES: Wolof, Pulaar, Serer, Diola, Mandinka, Malinke, Soninke, French

RELIGIONS: Sunni Muslim 90%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 5%, Traditional beliefs 5%

ETHNIC MIX: Wolof 43%, Toucouleur 24%, Serer 15%, Other 11%, Diola 4%, Malinke 3%

GOVERNMENT: Multiparty elections

CURRENCY: CFA franc

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Senegal's capital, Dakar, lies on the westernmost cape of Africa. The country is mostly low-lying, with open savanna and semidesert in the north and thicker savanna in the south. After independence from France in 1960, Senegal was ruled until 1981 by President Léopold Senghor. He was succeeded by his prime minister, Abdou Diouf, who held power for almost 20 years until his election defeat in 2000.