Flag of Senegal
Officially Republic of Senegal
Locally Sénégal
What the flag looks like
Three vertical stripes of green (hoist), yellow and red, with a green five-pointed star in the center of the yellow stripe.
What it means
Green represents hope and Islam, yellow wealth and the arts, and red life and sacrifice; the star stands for unity and hope.
How to remember it
Senegal
is Mali
plus a green Star in the middle: 'S' for Senegal, 'S' for Star.
Fun facts
- Senegal shares its colors with Mali because both were briefly united in the Mali Federation (1959-1960).
- Dakar's African Renaissance Monument, at 49 m, is the tallest statue in Africa.
- Lake Retba near Dakar is famous for its pink water, colored by algae.
Senegal at a glance
- Capital
- Dakar
- Region
- Western Africa
- Population
- 19 million
- Area
- 196,722 km²
- Languages
- French
- Currency
- West African CFA franc (FCFA)
- Flag adopted
- 1960
Flags often confused with Senegal
- Mali: Mali and Senegal are both green, yellow and red vertical stripes. Senegal has a green star in the center; Mali's flag is plain.
- Cameroon: Cameroon and Senegal both have vertical stripes starting with green and a star in the middle. Cameroon's middle stripe is red with a yellow star; Senegal's is yellow with a green star.
- Guinea: Guinea and Senegal both have red, yellow and green vertical stripes. Guinea starts with red and is plain; Senegal starts with green and has a green star in the center.