Senegal, covering an area of 196,712 square kilometers (75,930 square miles), is the most westerly country in Africa. It has a population of around 10.6 million that belongs to various ethnic groups, the largest of which is the Wolofs (36% of the population), who share similar cultural values with the other ethnic groups (the Fulani and Toucouleur, Serer, Diola, and Mandingo). Islam is the main religion (92%). Agriculture, fishing, and tourism are the country's most important resources. One in five Senegalese live in the capital, Dakar.

Present-day Senegal has been inhabited for more than a thousand years. From the sixteenth century onward European merchants tried to establish their influence. It was, however, only in the nineteenth century that the country became a permanent French possession. In 1960 Senegal became an independent republic with Léopold Sédar Senghor (1906–2001) as its first president. Senghor retired from politics in December 1980.

With the introduction of Senegal's first...