Geography of Senegal

The territory Senegal board lies between 12°8 and 16°41 northern Latitude and 11°21 and 17°32 of Longitude Western. Its Western point is most Western of all Africa Continentale.

The Senegal extends on 196.192 km, that is to say more than one third of France. If one compares it with his neighbors Mali and Mauritania, Senegal is a small country.

Senegal is composed of 11 areas, 35 departments and 109 districts.

Climate

The climate is of the type sahélien. It comprises one rain season - that one calls Hivernage - and a dry season. The rain season extends from June to October with a peak in August - September and variable according to the latitude (less precipitations in north compared to the south). It is the period of the Mousson S. the hard dry season from November to June with continental Alizé S. The highest temperatures are observed in summer, during the rain season. Lowest are located at January.

On the littoral the sea brings freshness and the temperatures are about 16°C with 30°C, but in the center and is country they can reach 41°C.

The diversity of the geography and the ecosystems

Except the two hills of the Mamelles (eruptive rocks also at the origin of the islands of Gorée and Madeleines) no relief decorates the horizon of the coast. The only true hills are those of the Fouta-Djalon at the border Guinea which do not have evil to culminate above 500 meters (photo on the right, hills of Bandafassi close to Kédougou). The estuaries of the Senegal, the Saloum and the Casamance are even below the sea level with high tide. Niayes, coastal dunes carved by the wind prevent nevertheless the sailor from seeing the continental landscape at the distance Dakar - Saint-Louis.

One of the great interests of Senegal east which it is one of the only countries in the world, and that in spite of its modest surface, to show so many different ecosystem S. Their list is impressive:

the mountain: on the ramparts of the Fouta-Djalon (south-Eastern Senegal), at the border of the Guinea, west of the National park of Niokolo-Koba to the river Falémé.
the dense forest: into Low Casamance (for example Oussouye or Diouloulou) and mainly in the border region with the Guinea-Bissau.
the dune desert: in the area of Saint-Louis, in the extreme north of the country, in the most septentrional part of the Ferlo.
the Mangrove: in the whole of Low-Casamance and Sine-Saloum, of Joal-Fadiouth until Cape Skirring.
lakes: the Lake Guiers and the whole of the permanent or provisional water points along the Senegal river.
the Bush: in Central Senegal
salted lakes: the Lake Pink, the Lake Mbeubeusse and of many small lakes including close to the Small-Coast.
rivers and rivers: the river Senegal, the river Gambia, the rivers Niokolo Koba, Falémé, Saloum, Soungrougrou, etc
the Savanna: in the south of a line Mbour - Kidira, the clear bush is transformed into more raised savanna particularly represented in the area of Tambacounda.
the ocean: all along the coast, of Saint-Louis in north with Kabrousse in the south.

The coast sénégalaise is made up various landscapes reflecting the climate, the currents marine, the Hydrographie or the Géologie:

Niayes

On the Large-Coast, the Niayes constitute half of the Senegalese coastal landscape. They run of Yoff - Guédiawaye to the border Mauritania. It is acted in fact of dunes sand fine and clear constituting a low relief on other side of which the Wolofs created sheltered vegetable gardens of the marine salted wind. For the bathers attention with the phenomenon of the bars present over the entire length of Niayes. Each year of too many Senegaleses (sometimes fishing) there lose the life fault of being able to regain the ground

The Bolong S

This term is used to speak about the forests of Mangrove component of multiple islands in the salted estuaries of the rivers. The bolongs thus represent a coastal large surface. The ecosystem of the mangrove is of course hostile with the man. The Moustique S are numerous there and with high tide all the small islands of mangroves are covered by salt water. Nevertheless the multiple labyrinths of channels are very full of fish and the fishermen grace in particular to the sparrowhawk (fishing net) go there daily. The National park of the delta of Saloum is covered mainly by the bolongs. The bolongs of the estuary of the Gambia, and the Casamance also constitute a large part of the coasts of these two areas.

Fair sand/Coconut S

One will par excellence see the balneal coast only in Casamance and more precisely of Niafourang (at the border gambio-sénégalaise) to the point of the Peninsula to the birds and of Nyikine with Kabrousse. One finds in these places the beaches dreamed of the tourist folders… without tourists! (except with the Cape Skirring). Hot or soft sea all the year, coconuts…

The coast of the Peninsula of Cape Verde

It is the volcanic coast. The rocks, the cliffs make that it is difficult even perilous to bathe. Some rare sandy beaches are attacked during the Hivernage. The Udders and they headlight dominate this coast ic Volcan. The Surfeur S have a paradise there. The waves are superb there, but the phenomenon of bar does not exist. Nevertheless the accidents are numerous there, because the rocks are with water flower. As for the sea urchin S, they pullulate and are a permanent threat which can tarnish your stay.

The coast of shells

It is called the Small-Coast. It starts with Rufisque and finishes with Joal-Fadiouth where the bolongs of the Sine-Saloum make their appearance. The principal coastal vegetation of the Small-Coast are the Filao S. the sea is never cold there and never heat. There are few waves and water is seldom clear there. It is however very full of fish. The characteristic of the Small-Coast, it is its beach covered with broken shells and seldom with sand. These broken shells have a different gauge on each beach. In Joal-Fadiouth, it is beautiful is well sand. But with Nianing for example you will see remains of shells of an enough large gauge to prevent you from lengthening you with same the ground.

See too

List of the rivers of Senegal
List of the lakes of Senegal
List of the islands of Senegal
Cities of Senegal
Environment in Senegal
Demography of Senegal
Economy of Senegal
Tourism in Senegal

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