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Senegal is a coastal West African nation located 14 degrees north of the equator and 14 degrees west of the Prime Meridian. The country's total area is 196,190 km2 of which 192,000 km2 is land and 4,190 km2 is water. 70% of the population of Senegal lives in the Coastal Region. Because most of Senegal's population is on the coast, climate change is expected to displace larger parts of the population.

Senegal is bordered to the west by the North Atlantic Ocean. On land, the nation's longest border is with Mauritania to the north, an 813 km border along the Senegal River. To the east is the 419 km border with Mali. In the southeast is Guinea (330 km border) and to the south southwest is Guinea Bissau (338 km), both borders running along the Casamance River. Senegal is one of only a handful of countries to have a near enclave within its borders—the small nation of the Gambia in the interior, which has a 740 km border with Senegal. The Gambia penetrates more than 320 km into Senegal, from the Atlantic coast to the center of Senegal along the Gambia River, which bisects Senegal's territory. In total, Senegal has 2,640 km of land borders, and 531 km of coastline and shoreline. Senegal makes maritime claims of a contiguous zone, a territorial sea, and a exclusive economic zone. It also claims a continental shelf, or to the edge of the continental margin. Another distinctive and well known feature of the country is the pink water Lake Retba, near the city of Dakar, which is one of the few lakes in the world with naturally pink or reddish coloured water. The lowest point in Senegal is the Atlantic Ocean, at sea level. The highest point is Baunez ridge situated 2.7 km southeast of Nepen Diakha at .

Senegal has three main climatic regions. The southern portion, south of The Gambia, has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) with two extremely contrasting seasons from northeast winter winds, including the dry dusty harmattan, and southwest summer winds. Annual rainfall in this region can reach on the southern border, with as much as in August at the height of the wet season, and virtually no rainfall from November to May. The central portion has a hot semi arid climate (Köppen BSh) with similar seasons to the south, but with a less rainy and highly variable wet season. Dakar's annual rainfall of about occurs between June and October when maximum temperatures average and minimums ; December to February maximum temperatures average and minimums
The extreme north in the valley of the Senegal River has a hot arid climate (BWh) with a wet season largely confined to August and September and very high year to year variability with complete failure of the wet season not rare. In the far interior of the country, in the region of Tambacounda, particularly on the border of Mali, temperatures can reach as high as .