Senegal is a country in West Africa and is located at the westernmost point of the continent and served by multiple air and maritime travel routes, Senegal is known as the "Gateway to Africa".  The country lies at an ecological boundary where semiarid grassland, oceanfront, and tropical rainforest converge; this diverse environment has endowed Senegal with a wide variety of plant and animal life. It is from this rich natural heritage that the country’s national symbols were chosen: the baobab tree and the lion. Senegal has many notable citizens that include Sadio Mané,  Akon, Ousmane Sembene , Safi Faye, Cheikh Anta Diop as well as many others.