Travel Alert Status
Level 3: Reconsider Travel
Time Difference:
UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Travel Climate:
Senegal has two well-defined seasons: northeasterly winds produce the cool, dry winter season (November to June) and southwesterly winds produce the hot, humid summer (July to October). During winter, Dakar days are invariably sunny with temperatures between 63 and 80° F. During summer, the average temperature is 86° F to 96° F with high humidity. Beginning in January, the harmattan brings dust and sand from the Sahara Desert for 2 or 3 months. Between July and October, Dakar receives 16 - 20 inches of rainfall. Precipitation increases farther south, exceeding 60 inches in parts of the Casamance Region in the southern part of the country. Typically, Senegal is considered a dry, almost desert country with a pleasant climate along the coast and much higher temperatures inland.
Languages:
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Ethnic Groups:
Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%
National Holiday:
Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
Geographic Coordinates:
14 00 N, 14 00 W
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
Airports:
9