Senegal (nation), republic, western Africa, bordered on the north by Mauritania, on the east by Mali, on the south by Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The Gambia, a small, narrow nation, forms an enclave in southern Senegal, extending inland along the River Gambia. A former French colony, Senegal gained full freedom on June 20, 1960. The republic's total area is 196,722 sq km (75,955 sq mi). The capital of Senegal is Dakar.