Alternatively, it could be a combination of the supreme deity in Serer religion ( Rog Sene) and o gal meaning body of water in the Serer language. The name of the river may derive from a Portuguese transliteration of the name of the Zenaga, also known as the Sanhaja. The country of Senegal is named after the Senegal River. Senegal is a member state of the African Union, the United Nations, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States. Other major industries include mining, tourism, and services. Most of the population is on the coast and works in agriculture or other food industries. Senegal is classified as a heavily indebted poor country, with a relatively low Human Development Index. Like other post-colonial African states, the country includes a wide mix of ethnic and linguistic communities, with the largest being the Wolof, Fula, and Serer people, and the Wolof and French languages acting as lingua francas. Because of this history, the official language is French. The state was formed as part of the independence of French West Africa from French colonial rule. Senegal covers a land area of almost 197,000 square kilometres (76,000 sq mi) and has a population of around 17 million. It owes its name to the Senegal River, which borders it to the east and north.

It is a unitary presidential republic and is the westernmost country in the mainland of the Old World, or Afro-Eurasia. Senegal's economic and political capital is Dakar. The climate is typically Sahelian, though there is a rainy season. Senegal also shares a maritime border with Cape Verde.

Senegal nearly surrounds the Gambia, a country occupying a narrow sliver of land along the banks of the Gambia River, which separates Senegal's southern region of Casamance from the rest of the country. Senegal is bordered by Mauritania in the north, Mali to the east, Guinea to the southeast, and Guinea-Bissau to the southwest. Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country in West Africa.

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