Senegal is bordered to the west by the North Atlantic Ocean. On land, the nation's longest border is with Mauritania to the north, an 813 km border along the Senegal River. To the east is the 419 km border with Mali. In the southeast is Guinea (330 km border) and to the south-southwest is Guinea-Bissau (338 km), both borders running along the Casamance River. Senegal is one of only a handful of countries to have a near-enclave within its borders—the small nation of the Gambia in the interior, which has a 740 km border with Senegal.
The Gambia penetrates more than 320 km into Senegal, from the Atlantic coast to the center of Senegal along the Gambia River, which bisects Senegal's territory. In total, Senegal has 2,640 km of land borders, and 531 km of coastline and shoreline. Senegal makes maritime claims of a 24 nmi (44.4 km; 27.6 mi) contiguous zone, a 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi) territorial sea, and a 370 km (200 nmi; 230 mi) exclusive economic zone. It also claims a 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) continental shelf, or to the edge of the continental margin.
Another distinctive and well-known feature of the country is the pink-water Lake Retba, near the city of Dakar, which is one of the few lakes in the world with naturally pink or reddish coloured water.
The lowest point in Senegal is the Atlantic Ocean, at sea level. The highest point is Baunez ridge situated 2.7 km southeast of Nepen Diakha at 648 m (2,126 ft).[2]
Climate
Köppen–Geiger climate classification map at 1-km resolution for Senegal (1991–2020)
Senegal has three main climatic regions. The southern portion, south of The Gambia, has a tropical savanna climate (KöppenAw) with two extremely contrasting seasons from northeast winter winds, including the dry dusty harmattan,[3] and southwest summer winds. Annual rainfall in this region can reach 1,800 millimetres or 70 inches on the southern border, with as much as 600 millimetres or 24 inches in August at the height of the wet season, and virtually no rainfall from November to May. The central portion has a hot semi-arid climate (KöppenBSh) with similar seasons to the south, but with a less rainy and highly variable wet season.[4] Dakar's annual rainfall of about 400 mm (16 in) occurs between June and October when maximum temperatures average 30 °C (86.0 °F) and minimums 24.2 °C (75.6 °F); December to February maximum temperatures average 25.7 °C (78.3 °F) and minimums 18 °C (64.4 °F).[5]
The extreme north in the valley of the Senegal River has a hot arid climate (BWh) with a wet season largely confined to August and September and very high year-to-year variability with complete failure of the wet season not rare.[4] Interior temperatures are higher than along the coast. For example, average daily temperatures in Kaolack and Tambacounda for May are 30 °C (86.0 °F) and 32.7 °C (90.9 °F) respectively, compared to Dakar's 23.2 °C or 73.8 °F.,[6] In the far interior of the country, in the region of Tambacounda, particularly on the border of Mali, temperatures can reach as high as 54 °C (129.2 °F).
Climate change in Senegal will have wide reaching impacts on many aspects of life in Senegal. Climate change will cause an increase in average temperatures over west Africa by between 1.5 and 4 °C (3 °F and 7 °F) by mid-century, relative to 1986–2005.[16] Projections of rainfall indicate an overall decrease in rainfall and an increase in intense mega-storm events over the Sahel.[17][18] The sea level is expected to rise faster in West Africa than the global average.[19][20] Although Senegal is currently not a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, it is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.[21][22]
Extreme drought is impacting agriculture, and causing food and job insecurity. More than 70% of the population is employed in the agricultural sector. Sea level rise and resulting coastal erosion is expected to cause damage to coastal infrastructure and displace a large percentage of the population living in coastal areas. Climate change also has the potential to increase land degradation that will likely increase desertification in eastern Senegal, leading to an expansion of the Sahara.[23]
^ abDewar, Robert E.; Wallis, James R. (December 1, 1999). "Geographical Patterning of Interannual Rainfall Variability in the Tropics and Near Tropics: An L-Moments Approach". Journal of Climate. 12 (12): 3457–3466.
^"Senegal — Ziguinchor". Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
^Niang, I; Ruppel, O.C; Abdrabo, M.A; Essel, A; Lennard, C; Padgham, J; Urquhart, P (2014). Africa. Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1199–1265.
