This article describes the system oftransport in Senegal, both public and private.This system comprises roads (both paved and unpaved), rail transport, water transport, and air transportation.
The system of roads in Senegal is extensive byWest African standards, with paved roads reaching each corner of the country and all major towns.
Dakar is the endpoint of three routes in theTrans-African Highway network. These are as follows:
Senegal's road network links closely with those ofthe Gambia, since the shortest route between south-western districts on the one hand and west-central and north-western districts on the other is through the Gambia.
The only operational motorway in Senegal currently runs for 34 km. betweenDakar andDiamniadio, and it is a toll motorway. A new part of the motorway, of 16.5 km. is currently under construction, which will reach theBlaise Diagne International Airport. Another section of 50 km. is also under construction, linking the airport toThiès; and the 115 km. stretch from Thiès toTouba, the final destination of the planned motorway, will start under construction in the near future.
The most important roads in Senegal are prefixed "N" and numbered from 1 to 7:
total: 942 km
narrow gauge: 906 km of1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge (70 km double track)
standard gauge: 36km
There were an estimated 4,271 km ofpaved roads and 10,305 km ofunpaved roads as of 1996.
Taxis (black-yellow or blue-yellow in color) are cheap, numerous and available everywhere inDakar.[1] It is customary to negotiate the fare since mostmeters installed in the taxis are broken or missing.[1] For travel outside Dakar,public transportation is available but often unreliable and uncomfortable.[1]
897 km total; 785 km on theSenegal river, and 112 km on theSaloum River.
Dakar has one of the largest deep-waterseaports along theWest African coast.[1] Its deep-draft structure and 640-foot-wide (200 m) access channel allows round-the-clock access to theport.[1] Its currentinfrastructure includestanker vessel loading and unloading terminals, acontainer terminal with a storage capacity of 3000 20-foot-equivalent units, a cereals andfishing port, a dedicatedphosphate terminal and a privately run ship repair facility.[1] The port's location at the extreme western point ofAfrica, at the crossroad of the major sea-lanes linkingEurope toSouth America, makes it a natural port of call forshipping companies.[1] Totalfreight traffic averages 10 million metric tons.[1]
There were an estimated 20airports in 1999.Blaise Diagne International Airport inDiass became thehub of the sub-region.[1][2] Dakar is linked to numerous African cities by air, and daily flights go toEurope.[1]Delta Air Lines flies daily to/from Atlanta/Dakar/Johannesburg.[1]South African Airways flies daily toNew York andWashington, D.C. fromJohannesburg via Dakar.[1] The oldLéopold Sédar Senghor International Airport inDakar is now only exists as acargo hub.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook.CIA.