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Gambia
Quick Overview:
The Gambia was for many years a British colony and is the smallest, and one of the safest countries in Africa. Flights from Europe generally depart in the morning, so by mid-afternoon you can find yourself under a shady coconut palm enjoying a drink in the warm tropical sunshine. And this, after just 6 hours flight time - with no jet lag! The coast offers miles of superb golden beaches and the vibrancy of Bakau, Serrekunda and the capital, Banjul, is as colourfully African as you might imagine. During the day, fish for Barracuda on the Atlantic Ocean, strike a bargain in one of the many markets and in the evening, sample the wide variety of Gambian and international cuisine. Inland, the broad 300-mile long river dominates life today as it has done for centuries. Hippos languish where previously slave traders plied their trade. An international crossroads for migratory birds, the avifauna in The Gambia boasts over 540 species and is amongst the richest in the world. For the sport fisherman, the river is home to a number of noted fighting fresh water fish including Tiger fish and other localised species.
Geography:
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Location:
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Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal |
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Area:
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total: 11,300 sq km land: 10,000 sq km water: 1,300 sq km |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 740 km border countries: Senegal 740 km |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 53 m |
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Geography - note:
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almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the continent of Africa |
Population:
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1,455,842 (July 2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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3.09% (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 53.98 years female: 56.01 years (2002 est.) male: 52.02 years |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.95% (1999 est.) |
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Ethnic groups:
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African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1% |
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Religions:
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Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1% |
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Languages:
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English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars |
Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia conventional short form: The Gambia |
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Government type:
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republic under multiparty democratic rule |
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Capital:
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Banjul |
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Administrative divisions:
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5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Central River, Lower River, North Bank, Upper River, Western |
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Independence:
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18 February 1965 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 18 February (1965) |
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Constitution:
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24 April 1970; suspended July 1994; rewritten and approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; reestablished in January 1997 |
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Legal system:
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based on a composite of English common law, Koranic law, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or APRC [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH]; Gambian People's Party-Progressive People's Party-United Democratic Party or GPP-PPP-UDP Coalition [Ousainou DARBOE]; National Convention Party or NCP [Sheriff DIBBA]; National Reconciliation Party or NRP [Hamat N. K. BAH]; People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS [Sidia JATTA] note: in August 2001, an independent electoral commission allowed the reregistration of the GPP, NCP, and PPP, three parties banned since 1996 |
GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2001 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.7% (2001 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4% (2001 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% |
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Industries:
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processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism; beverages; agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking; clothing |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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75 million kWh (2000) |
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Agriculture - products:
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peanuts, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats; forest and fishery resources not fully exploited |
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Exports:
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$139.2 million (f.o.b., 2001) |
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Exports - commodities:
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peanuts and peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels |
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Currency:
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dalasi (GMD) |
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Currency code:
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GMD |
Telephones - main lines in use:
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31,900 (2000) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: adequate; a packet switched data network is available domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open wire international: microwave radio relay links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (government-owned) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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5,000 (2000) |
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Internet country code:
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.gm |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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2 (2001) |
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Internet users:
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5,000 (2001) |
Railways:
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0 km |
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Highways:
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total: 2,700 km paved: 956 km unpaved: 1,744 km (1996) |
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Waterways:
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400 km |
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Ports and harbors:
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Banjul |
The Bank of The River Gambia have been inhabited for many centuries. Hanno, The Carthaginean, referred to Gambia while writing about his voyage to West Africa in 470 B.C. It is known that between the 5th and 8th centuries most of the Senegambian Area came from the Sarahuley ethnic group, and those descendants can be found in The Gambia. The Ghana Empire which had its capital in present day Mauritania, soon gave way to the Songhais, who latter became Muslims and promoted their new faith zealously. Around the 13th century, however, Mandingoes and Susus' from the Futa Jallon Plateau had established themselves in what is now Mali, and from there controlled the whole of The Gambia Basin. The Gambia was then inhabited mainly by wollofs on the Northern bank and Jolas on the southern bank of the River. When the Mali Empire declined at the end of the 16th century, the Mandingo leaders retired to the Futa Jallon, but continued to have influence over the Casamance (Southern Senegal) and The Gambia until early in the 18th century. Later The Fula invaders penetrated the region. The Ancestors of the Fulas had come from Africa and earlier had founded the famous Emirates of' Northern Nigeria. During the 18th and 19th centuries, there were protracted wars between the Islamic Marabouts and the Pagan Soninkis. The British, who already established themselves at Banjul by this time, offered protection to the various chiefs during these conflicts, and through treaties, soon brought The Gambia region under their control. Before the British, some Portuguese had come to The Gambia following the expeditions promoted by Prince Henry starting in 1455. They had introduced groundnuts, tie main cash crop of today, cotton, and some tropical fruits from Brazil. Their number, however, was never large and the, were soon absorbed by intermarriage. The British started trading with the Gambians in 1587, and within a few decades had explored the River. They traded as business companies and ruled the area from their fort on James Island until 1765, when the Gambia was made a part of the British colony of SeneGambia with its headquarters at St. Louis. When in 1807, slave trading was abolished, James Island was used to check and stop the illicit traffic in slaves. In 1816, Captain Alexander Grant obtained the sandy bank of Banjul Island by a treaty from the Chief of Kombo and built the planned city of Bathurst, now renamed Banjul. Bathurst already had a civilian population of 700 by 1818, the year that civil government was begun. The Gambia was administered as a crown colony from Sierra Leone between 1821 and 1892, but since then Banjul (Bathurst) has been its capital. The Gambia became independent in 1965 and five years later adopted a Republican Constitution.
Related Links:
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News Gambia News Daily News from Gambia |
Offical Sites Offical Government Site |
Country Guides Gambia Tourist Information |
Education Links to educational websites |