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Senegal is situated on the western bulge of Africa and has borders with Mauritania to the north and northeast, Mali to the east, Guinea and Guinea Bissau to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It surrounds Gambia on three sides.

The northern part of the Senegal coast is made up of dunes and to the south are muddy estuaries. Behind the coast is a sandy plain, which extends north to the floodplain of the Senegal River. The Casamance Region in the south, isolated from the rest of Senegal by the Gambia, is low but more varied in relief, while to the southeast lie the Futa Jallon foothills, which rise to a maximum altitude of just above 1,600 ft. Much of the northwest of Senegal is semi-desert, but the center and most of the south, except for the forest of Casamance, are open savannah country. The major rivers - the Senegal, Saloum, Gambia and Casamance - flow from east to west.

Places of Interest:

Dakar
Dakar the very French capital of Senegal is a pleasant city with beautiful tree-lined boulevards and the most European atmosphere of any city on the continent (outside of South Africa).

Dakar has some good museums and a few historic remains, most notably the Ile de Goree, which are worth a visit and described in the section sights. The nightlife, see nightlife is among the best in Africa.

For shopping Dakar has some great African markets, see markets.

When you want to be active during your stay, see activities, when you want to relax, go to the beaches.

Dakar offers several good daytrips, see daytrips.

Ile de goree
The Ile de Goree is located just off the coast from Dakar and is one of the highlights on any trip to West Africa. Take a ferry from the harbour in Dakar and try to get rid of the people who want to be your guide or just hire a guide. The island has a great relaxed atmosphere and some real impressive sights, including and old Dutch fort and the prisons where slaves were kept before they were shipped of to the Americas. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The island also has a reputation for Djembe (traditional drums) playing and Djembe players gather on the island for life sessions. Great fun!

Culture:

About 51% of Senegal's population is rural. In rural areas, density varies from about 77 per square kilometer (200 per sq. mi.) in the west-central region to 2 per square kilometer (5 per sq. mi.) in the arid eastern section. About 50,000 Europeans (mostly French) and Lebanese reside in Senegal, mainly in the cities. French is the official language but is used regularly only by the literate minority. All Senegalese speak an indigenous language, of which Wolof has the largest usage.

Muslim 92%, indigenous beliefs 6%, Christian 2% (mostly Roman Catholic).

Almost 90% of the Senegalese population are of musulman confession . The islamization of the country dates back to the XIth century (see history of Senegal), the period when the north of the Senegal, was conquered by the Almoradives (monks warriors barbers). The appearance of Christianity is much more recent. Often frayed between the two religion, the animism, with their rituals and their beliefs, is still very present.

The Senegal is a country rich in musical values and the number of occasions that are used to gather around the "griots" or clapping your hands and sway your hips in rhythm delights a public often very numerous. Each ethical group has his music and his instruments that are their own.

There is a large variety of Senegalise Art and Craft products including jewellery, clothes, basket weaving and musical instruments.

'Underglass' Painting is one of the oldest Senegalese arts. It is very popular in the towns and even in rural areas the painting reproduces daily scenes of life Just as in "Naif Art". Sand painting is one of the most popular arts of Senegal. The technique is strictly based on the use of local raw material (sand of the dune, beach sand, volcano sands etc...). The designs are typically African.