Marshall Islands (2005) | Senegal (2007) | |
Administrative divisions | 33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje | 11 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 38.2% (male 11,488/female 11,071)
15-64 years: 59.1% (male 17,887/female 17,023) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 771/female 831) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 42% (male 2,656,122/female 2,608,423)
15-64 years: 55% (male 3,426,504/female 3,454,372) 65 years and over: 3% (male 176,877/female 199,553) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens | peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish |
Airports | 15 (2004 est.) | 20 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total: 181.3 sq km
land: 181.3 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik |
total: 196,190 sq km
land: 192,000 sq km water: 4,190 sq km |
Area - comparative | about the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than South Dakota |
Background | After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network. | The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal was ruled by the Socialist Party for 40 years until current President Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982, but the envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The most significant threat within Senegal since the 1980s has been led by the Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC). Although a peace agreement was signed in December 2004, internal rifts continue to keep the peace process deadlocked. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping. |
Birth rate | 33.52 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 37.4 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $42 million
expenditures: $40 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1999) |
revenues: $1.975 billion
expenditures: $2.485 billion (2006 est.) |
Capital | Majuro | name: Dakar
geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 17 26 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical; hot and humid; wet season from May to November; islands border typhoon belt | tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind |
Coastline | 370.4 km | 531 km |
Constitution | 1 May 1979 | adopted 7 January 2001 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands
conventional short form: Marshall Islands former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) |
conventional long form: Republic of Senegal
conventional short form: Senegal local long form: Republique du Senegal local short form: Senegal former: Senegambia (along with The Gambia); Mali Federation |
Death rate | 4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 10.96 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $86.5 million (FY99/00 est.) | $1.437 billion (2006 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Greta N. MORRIS
embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379 telephone: [692] 247-4011 FAX: [692] 247-4012 |
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jay Thomas Smith
embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar telephone: [221] 33-823-4296 FAX: [221] 33-822-2991 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Banny DE BRUM
chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236 consulate(s) general: Honolulu |
chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou Lamine BA
chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York |
Disputes - international | claims US territory of Wake Island | The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem separatist violence, cross border raids, and arms smuggling into their countries from Senegal's Casamance region, and in 2006, respectively accepted 6,000 and 10,000 Casamance residents fleeing the conflict; 2,500 Guinea-Bissau residents fled into Senegal in 2006 to escape armed confrontations along the border |
Economic aid - recipient | more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002 | $689.3 million (2005 est.) |
Economy - overview | US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production, primarily subsistence, is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Amended Compact of Free Association, the US will provide millions of dollars per year to the Marshall Islands (RMI) through 2023, at which time a Trust Fund made up of US and RMI contributions will begin perpetual annual payouts. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade. | In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic reform program with the support of the international donor community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's currency, the CFA franc, which was linked at a fixed rate to the French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in 1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform program, with real growth in GDP averaging over 5% annually during 1995-2006. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with a unified external tariff and a more stable monetary policy. High unemployment, however, continues to prompt illegal migrants to flee Senegal in search of better job opportunities in Europe. Senegal was also beset by an energy crisis that caused widespread blackouts in 2006. Senegal still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal will benefit from eradication of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector debt. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 1.456 billion kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | - | 2.223 billion kWh (2005) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m |
Environment - current issues | inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels | wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling |
Ethnic groups | Micronesian | Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4% |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is the legal tender | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held November 2007) election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100% |
chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Cheikh Hadjibou SOUMARE (since 19 June 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) under new constitution; election last held on 25 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdoulaye WADE reelected president in the first round of voting; percent of vote - Abdoulaye WADE 55.9%, Idrissa SECK 14.9%, Ousmane Tanor DIENG 13.6%, Moustapha NIASSE 5.9%, other 9.7% |
Exports | $9 million f.o.b. (2000) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish | fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton |
Exports - partners | US, Japan, Australia, China (2000) | Mali 19.2%, France 8.3%, India 5.8%, Gambia, The 5.3%, Spain 5.1%, Italy 4.9% (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | calendar year |
Flag description | blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes | three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 14%
industry: 16% services: 70% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 16.6%
industry: 19.2% services: 64.1% (2006 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 1% (2001 est.) | 2% (2006 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 9 00 N, 168 00 E | 14 00 N, 14 00 W |
Geography - note | two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range | westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal |
Highways | total: 64.5 km
paved: 64.5 km unpaved: NA km note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 33.4% (2001) |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis |
Imports | $54 million f.o.b. (2000) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco | food and beverages, capital goods, fuels |
Imports - partners | US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2000) | France 25.1%, UK 5.2%, Thailand 4.8%, China 4.5%, Spain 4% (2006) |
Independence | 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) | 4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960 |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | 3.2% (2006 est.) |
Industries | copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls | agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, construction materials, ship construction and repair |
Infant mortality rate | total: 29.45 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 33.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
total: 60.15 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 64.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 56.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2% (2001 est.) | 2.1% (2006 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km | 1,200 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; High Court | Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals |
Labor force | 28,700 (1996 est.) | 4.723 million (2006 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 21.4%, industry 20.9%, services 57.7% | agriculture: 77%
industry and services: 23% (1990 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 2,640 km
border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km |
Land use | arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 38.89% other: 44.44% (2001) |
arable land: 12.51%
permanent crops: 0.24% other: 87.25% (2005) |
Languages | Marshallese 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census)
note: English widely spoken as a second language; both Marshallese and English are official languages |
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka |
Legal system | based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws | based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the government's accounting office; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held not later than November 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: the Council of Chiefs is a 12-member body that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice |
bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (150 seats; 90 members elected by direct popular vote with the remaining members elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and the Senate reinstituted in 2007 (100 seats; 35 indirectly elected with the remaining 65 members to be appointed by the president)
elections: National Assembly - last held on 3 June 2007 (next to be held 2012); note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006; legislative elections were first rescheduled to coincide with the 25 February 2007 presidential elections and later rescheduled for 3 June 2007; the June election was boycotted by 12 opposition parties, including the former ruling Socialist Party, that resulted in a record-low, 35-percent voter turnout; Senate - last held 19 August 2007 (next to be held - NA) election results: National Assembly results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SOPI Coalition 131, other 19; Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDS 34, AJ/PADS 1, 65 to be appointed by the president |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 70.01 years
male: 68.05 years female: 72.06 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 56.69 years
male: 55.34 years female: 58.09 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7% male: 93.6% female: 93.7% (1999) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 39.3% male: 51.1% female: 29.2% (2002 est.) |
Location | Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania |
Map references | Oceania | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Merchant marine | total: 540 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 16,954,092 GRT/28,176,762 DWT
by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 83, cargo 47, chemical tanker 77, combination ore/oil 12, container 88, liquefied gas 16, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 192, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 462 (Australia 1, Bahamas 1, Bermuda 1, Canada 4, Chile 2, Croatia 2, Cyprus 7, Denmark 2, Georgia 1, Germany 124, Greece 106, Hong Kong 7, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 5, Latvia 6, Monaco 9, Netherlands 4, New Zealand 1, Norway 21, Philippines 1, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 2, Slovenia 2, Spain 1, Switzerland 5, Taiwan 1, Turkey 11, Ukraine 1, UAE 3, United Kingdom 15, United States 112) (2005) |
- |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the US | - |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Marshall Islands Police | Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2007) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | 1.4% (2005 est.) |
National holiday | Constitution Day, 1 May (1979) | Independence Day, 4 April (1960) |
Nationality | noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective: Marshallese |
noun: Senegalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Senegalese |
Natural hazards | infrequent typhoons | lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts |
Natural resources | coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals | fish, phosphates, iron ore |
Net migration rate | -5.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 43 km (2006) |
Political parties and leaders | traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Kabua Party [Imata KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING] | African Party of Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS) [Landing SAVANE]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP [Moustapha NIASSE]; Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP (also known as Garab-Gi) [Dr. Iba Der THIAM]; Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for Socialism and Democracy or FSD [Cheikh Abdoulaye Bamba DIEYE]; Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor Party or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; Jef-Jel [Talla SYLLA]; National Democratic Rally or RND [Madior DIOUF]; People's Labor Party or PTP [Elhadji DIOUF]; Reform Party or PR [Abdourahim AGNE]; Rewmi [Idrissa SECK]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE]; Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]; SOPI Coalition [Abdoulaye WADE] (a coalition led by the PDS); Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | labor; Sufi and Mouride brotherhoods; students; teachers |
Population | 59,071 (July 2005 est.) | 12,521,851 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | 54% (2001 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.27% (2005 est.) | 2.645% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Majuro | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0
note: additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein (2002) |
AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001) |
Railways | - | total: 906 km
narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000 meter gauge (2006) |
Religions | Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none 1.5% (1999 census) | Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.018 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.992 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.886 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits
domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001) |
general assessment: good system
domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system international: country code - 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 4,500 (2003) | 282,600 (2006) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 600 (2002) | 2.983 million (2006) |
Television broadcast stations | 2 (both are US military stations) (2002) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | low coral limestone and sand islands | generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast |
Total fertility rate | 3.93 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 5 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 30.9% (1999 est.) | 48%; note - urban youth 40% (2001 est.) |
Waterways | - | 1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2005) |