Introduction
Subdivisions
Senegal is divided into fourteen regions, each named after its capital:
- DK Dakar
- DB Diourbel
- FK Fatick
- KA Kaffrine
- KL Kaolack
- KE Kédougou
- KD Kolda
- LG Louga
- MT Matam
- SL Saint-Louis
- SE Sédhiou
- TC Tambacounda
- TH Thiès
- ZG Ziguinchor
License Plates
Until 2019, Senegalese license plates were blue with white text: AB-1234-BC. The first two letters correspond to the region code, that can be found using the subdivisions list above.
In 2019, a new EU-style plate was introduced with white plates and a blue bar on the left featuring the Senegalese flag and country code SN: SNAB∙123∙BC. On these plates, the region code is not part of the registration number, but rather is printed (with the department code) on the top right corner of the plate in a smaller size.
Phone Codes
Senegal does not have an extensive area code system, with just two codes: phone numbers starting with 8 are in Dakar, and those starting with 9 are outside of Dakar.
Roads, Markings, and Signage
Senegal has very helpful kilometer markers. They show the road number as well as the next cities with distances. Primary (N roads) have a red top and secondary (R roads) have a green top.
Senegal uses all white road markings. They are usually dashed on the side.
Highways & Road Numbering Schemes
There are only 2 separated highways, the A1 from Dakar to Mbour and the A2 from Thies to Touba. The primary national Roads N1-7. They are not sorted in a reasonable way but they are generally pretty easy to find. The secondary national roads are the green R20-70. They don't show up as well as the primary roads but as there aren't many, they are findable too.
Architecture
The only city with multi-story buildings is Dakar. In Dakar, most houses are simple apartment complexes. In the outskirts and in smaller cities, the houses aren't taller than 2, maybe 3 stories. They have flat roofs and the facades are painted in basic brown and white tones with one other colour here and there. In poorer areas, houses tend to have a cheaper look with only a brick facade. In wealthy areas or city centers some houses also have a mosaic/ornament facade.
Meta
There are 2 camera generations, 3 and 4. On the older, rare gen 3 car, you can see rifts in the sky, as well as a roof rack. The gen 4 Cars don't have that. They are white or silver pick-up trucks. Sometimes, the Google car is entirely blurred out.
There are other, rarer cars. But by knowing these you should be fine!
Electricty Poles
The Senegalese poles have a very distinct look.
Language
French is the official language of Senegal, although it is not the most widely spoken — that crown goes to Wolof — it is the language you will encounter most often on signage.
Script
The French language uses the 26 standard letters of the Latin alphabet, plus a variety of diacritics and some special letters:
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii
Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr
Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
(Diacritics)
Àà Ââ Ææ Çç Éé Èè Êê Ëë
Îî Ïï Ôô Œœ Ùù Ûû Üü Ÿÿ
Samples
Tous les êtres humains naissent libres et égaux en dignité et en droits. Ils sont doués de raison et de conscience et doivent agir les uns envers les autres dans un esprit de fraternité.