Senegal Geography

What is the terrain and geography like in Senegal?

Overview

The Republic of Senegal is located on the bulge of West Africa and covers 196,000 square kilometers (76,000 square miles). The independent, English-speaking state of The Gambia, straddling the Gambia River, is a fingerlike enclave that protrudes more than 200 miles into Senegal.

Averaging less than 650 feet in elevation, Senegal is mostly flat or rolling plains with savanna-type vegetation. In the southeast, however, plateaus 1640 feet high form the foothills of the Fouta-Djallon Mountains. Marshy swamps interspersed with tropical rain forests are common in the southwest.

North of Dakar on the Cap Vert Peninsula, the coast forms almost a straight line; farther south it is indented by many estuaries and is often marshy. Four major rivers, The Senegal, Saloum, Gambia, and Casamance, flow almost parallel from east to west and each are navigable for a good distance inland.

Geography - note

westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal

Senegal Use of Natural Resources

Geographic Location Africa
Total Area 75,954 Square Miles
196,722 Square Kilometers
Land Area 74,336 Square Miles
192,530 Square Kilometers
Water Area 1,619 Square Miles
4,192 Square Kilometers
Land Boundaries 1,640 Miles
2,640 Kilometers
Irrigated Land 462 Square Miles
1,197 Square Kilometers
Border Countries The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline 330 Miles
531 Kilometers
Geographic Coordinates 14 00 N, 14 00 W
Terrain generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Highest Point 581 Meters
Highest Point Location unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m
Lowest Point Location Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Natural Resources fish, phosphates, iron ore
Time Zone UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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