The country of Senegal, which is officially known as the Republic of Senegal, is located in West Africa, along the Atlantic Ocean. Senegal is bounded to the north by Mauritania, to the east by Mali, to the southeast by Guinea, and to the southwest by Guinea-Bissau. The Gambia, which occupies a sliver of land along the banks of the Gambia River and separates Senegal's southern region of Casamance from the rest of the country, is almost entirely surrounded by Senegal. Cape Verde and Senegal also share a maritime border. Dakar is the political and economic center of Senegal.

Senegal is notable for being the continent's westernmost nation in the Old World, or Afro-Eurasia. The Senegal River, which runs east and north of it, gives it its name. Although there is a rainy season, the climate is typically Sahelian. Senegal has a population of approximately 17 million people and a land area of almost 197,000 square kilometers (76,000 square miles). The state is a republic with a single president; It has been acknowledged as one of the most stable African nations ever since it was established in 1960.

The state was established as part of the French West African independence from French colonial rule. French is the official language because of this history, but only a small percentage of people understand it. Wolof is the most widely spoken language in Senegal, with 80% of the population speaking it as a first or second language. Along with French, it serves as Senegal's lingua franca. The Wolof, Fula, and Serer people make up the majority of the country's ethnic and linguistic diversity, as do other postcolonial African states. The majority of Senegalese are Muslims.