MONETARY UNIT: In 1971, the dalasi (d), a paper currency of 100 butut, replaced the Gambian pound. There are coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 butut and 1 dalasi, and notes of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 dalasi. d1 = $0.03096 (or $1 = d32.3) as of 2004.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: Both British and metric weights and measures are in use.

HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Confederation Day, 1 February; Independence Day, 18 February; Labor Day, 1 May; Assumption, 15 August; Christmas, 25 December. Movable religious holidays include Good Friday, Easter Monday, ‘Id al-Fitr, ‘Id al-’Adha’, and Milad an-Nabi.

TIME: GMT.

1 Location and Size

Located on the west coast of Africa, the Republic of The Gambia (commonly known as “The Gambia”) has an area of 11,300 square kilometers (4,363 square miles), slightly less than twice the size of the state of Delaware. The country shares a land border of 740 kilometers (460 miles) with Senegal. The coastline (Atlantic Ocean) measures 80 kilometers (50 miles).

The Gambia’s capital city, Banjul, is located on the Atlantic coast.

2 Topography

The Gambia River, which originates in Guinea, is the longest river in Gambia, with a total length of about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles). Within Gambia the river flows about 470 kilometers (292 miles). Brown mangrove swamps line both sides of the river for the first 145 kilometers (90 miles) from the sea. The mangroves then give way to more open country and, in places, to red ironstone cliffs. The land on either side of the river is generally open savanna with wooded areas along the drainage channels. The highest point in Gambia is an unnamed location with an elevation of 53 meters (174 feet). The lowest point is at sea level (Atlantic Ocean).

GEOGRAPHICAL PROFILE

Geographic Features

Area: 11,300 sq km (4,363 sq mi)

Size ranking: 160 of 194

Highest elevation: 53 meters (174 feet) at unnamed location

Lowest elevation: Sea level at the Atlantic Ocean

Land Use*

Arable land: 28%

Permanent crops: 0%

Other: 72%

Weather**

Average annual precipitation: 92–145 centimeters (36–57 inches)

Average temperature in January: (Banjul): 23°C (73°F)

Average temperature in July: (Banjul): 27°C (81°F)

* Arable Land: Land used for temporary crops, like meadows for mowing or pasture, gardens, and greenhouses.

Permanent crops: Land cultivated with crops that occupy its use for long periods, such as cocoa, coffee, rubber, fruit and nut orchards, and vineyards.

Other: Any land not specified, including built-on areas, roads, and barren land.

** The measurements for precipitation and average temperatures were taken at weather stations closest to the country’s largest city.

Precipitation and average temperature can vary significantly within a country, due to factors such as latitude, altitude, coastal proximity, and wind patterns.

3 Climate

The Gambia has a subtropical climate with distinct cool and hot seasons. From November to mid-May there is uninterrupted dry weather, with temperatures as low as 16°c (61°f) in Banjul and surrounding areas. Hot, humid weather predominates the rest of the year, with a rainy season from June to October. The average annual rainfall ranges from 92 centimeters (36 inches) in the interior to 145 centimeters (57 inches) along the coast.

4 Plants and Animals

The countryside contains many flowers, including yellow cassias and scarlet combretum. The tropical shrub area contains bougainvillea, oleander, and a dozen varieties of hibiscus. Distinctive animals include several varieties of monkeys.

5 Environment

The Gambia’s environmental concerns include deforestation, desertification, and water pollution. Deforestation is the most serious problem, with slash-and-burn agriculture the principal cause. As of 2003 only 2.3% of the total land area is protected. A 30% decrease in rainfall over the last thirty years has increased the rate of desertification for The Gambia’s agricultural lands. Water pollution is a significant problem due to lack of adequate sanitation facilities. Impure water is responsible for life-threatening diseases that contribute to high infant mortality rates.

According to a 2006 report, threatened species include 3 types of mammals, 2 bird species, 1 type of reptile, 11 species of fish, and 4 species of plants. Threatened species include the African slender-snouted crocodile and the West African manatee.

6 Population

The population of The Gambia in 2005 census was estimated at 1.59 million. The projected population estimate for 2025 is 2.6 million. Banjul, the capital, had 372,000 residents in 2005. About 74% of the population was rural as of 2005.

7 Migration

Each year, some 20,000 to 30,000 migrants from Senegal, Mali, and Guinea come to The Gambia to help harvest the peanut crop. Gambians move freely over national borders, which are poorly marked and difficult to police. Many young Gambians move from rural areas to Banjul for education or in search of work. In 2000, there were 185,000 migrants living in The Gambia, accounting for about 14% of the population. By the close of 2004, a total of 7,343 refugees and 602 asylum seekers were living in the country. In 2005, the estimated net migration rate was 1.27 migrants per 1,000 population.

8 Ethnic Groups

Most Gambians (99% of the population) are African. The Mandinka (Malinké) subgroup of Africans, who make up an estimated 42% of the population, arrived in The Gambia by the 13th century. Fulani (18%) predominate in the eastern part of the country; other major groups include the Wolof (16%), Jola (10%), Serahuli (9%), and others (4%). Only 1% of the population is non-African, including Syrians, Lebanese, and British.

9 Languages

English is the official language, but there are 21 distinct languages spoken throughout the country. The main native languages are Wolof, Fula, and Mandinka, the latter spoken by the Mandingo.

10 Religions

Islam is followed by about 90% of the population. The main Muslim branches are Tijaniyah, Qadiriyah, Muridiyah, and Ahmadiyah. The 9% Christians, mostly Roman Catholics, are concentrated in the Banjul area. Protestant denominations include Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, along with other small evangelical groups. Some 1% of Gambians also practice traditional indigenous religions. Certain Muslim and Christian holidays are officially observed.

11 Transportation

The Gambia River not only provides important internal transport but also is an international commercial link. Banjul, the principal port, receives about three hundred ships annually.

As of 2002, there were 2,700 kilometers (1,678 miles) of roads. About 106,600 passenger cars and 142,300 commercial vehicles were in use.

The Gambia has no railroads. There is an international airport 26 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of Banjul. Air Gambia, 60% state owned, acts as an agent only; foreign air carriers provide international service.

12 History

A Mali-based Mandingo empire was dominant in the 13th and 14th centuries. Portuguese sailors discovered the Gambia River in 1455, and in 1587, English merchants began to trade in the area.

Between 1765 and 1783, The Gambia formed part of the British colony of Senegambia, with headquarters at Saint-Louis. In 1783, the greater part of Senegambia was handed back to France. The Gambia section ceased to be a British colony and was returned to the Royal African Company. In 1888, The Gambia again became a separate British colony.

In 1960, universal adult voting was introduced, and a 34-member House of Representatives replaced the Legislative Council. The Gambia attained full internal self-government on 4 October 1963, with Dr. (later Sir) Dawda Kairaba Jawara as prime minister. An independence constitution, which came into force in February 1965, established The Gambia as a constitutional monarchy within the British Commonwealth.

On 23 April 1970, The Gambia became a republic with Jawara as the first president. He and the ruling PPP (People’s Progressive Party) remained in power into the 1980s, weathering an attempted left-wing takeover and a rebellion in July 1981. He was re-elected in 1982, 1987, and 1992. Jawara was expected to retire in midterm, but on 22 July 1994 he was overthrown in a bloodless military takeover led by Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh.

President Jawara took shelter in an American warship, which, at the time, had been on a courtesy call. The junta (pronounced HUN-ta) of junior officers and a few civilians suspended the constitution, banned all political activity, detained its superior officers, and placed ministers of the former government under house arrest. The European Union and the United States suspended aid and pressed for a quick return to civilian rule. Jammeh won 56% of the vote in the presidential elections of September 1996. Jammeh dissolved the provisional council and called for legislative elections in January 1997. Although the elections were considered fair, opposition candidates were harassed, and there was no media exposure of any but the ruling party.

Local elections, scheduled for November 2000 were repeatedly postponed. The 18 October 2001 presidential elections were conducted amid charges of fraud, and thousands of Diola—members of Jammeh’s ethnic group living across the border in Senegal—reportedly helped reelect Jammeh who took 52.96% of the vote.

In February 2004, the discovery of large oil deposits was announced by the government, and while expectations of better economic times were raised, the freedom of expression took a hit in December of that same year, when a new press law imposed jail terms for sedition and libel. A few days later an outspoken critic of the law, newspaper editor Deyda Hydara was assassinated. In March of 2005, more than 30 ranking officials were arrested on suspicion of corruption.

In late 2005, the National Alliance for Development and Democracy (NADD) was formed by five opposition parties. The NADD was seen as a single platform that would overcome party differences and capture power from the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), the country’s ruling political party.

Presidential elections were held 22 September 2006, when Yahya Jammeh was reelected. Legislative elections were slated for January 2007.

13 Government

Under the republican constitution of 24 April 1970, the president, popularly elected for a five-year term, was the head of state. Presidential powers included designating a vice president, who exercised the functions of a prime minister, and appointing cabinet members. The House of

BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE

Name: Yahya Jammeh

Position: President of a republic under multiparty democratic rule

Took Office: 12 October 1996, reelected October 2001 and September 2006

Birthplace: Kanilai, Gambia

Birthdate: 25 May 1965

Spouse: Tali Faal-Jammeh

Representatives had 36 members elected by universal adult voting (at age 18). The military government suspended the constitution on 22 July 1994 and instituted a new National Assembly in 1996. The National Assembly had 49 members, 4 of whom were appointed by the president, and the rest being elected. As of 2005, the Assembly consisted of 53 members, 5 of whom were appointed by the president.

There are five administrative divisions, each with a council. The divisions are subdivided into 35 districts, administered by chiefs with the help of village mayors and councilors.

14 Political Parties

In January 1997, the newly formed Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) won 33 of 45 seats up for election in the National Assembly. The United Democratic Party took seven seats, and two smaller parties and independents split the remaining five seats.

Parliamentary elections were held in January 2002. The APRC won 45 of 53 seats. The People’s Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) took three seats. The United Democratic Party boycotted the elections.

In late 2005, five opposition parties formed the National Alliance for Development and Democracy (NADD) to counter the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC).

15 Judicial System

The Supreme Court, presided over by a chief justice, has both civil and criminal jurisdiction. Appeals from any decision of the Supreme Court formerly went before the Court of Appeals, whose judgments could then be taken to the United Kingdom’s Privy Council. A new constitution in 1997 reorganized the court system. The Supreme Court replaced the Privy Council.

Muslim courts apply Shari’ah law in certain cases involving Muslim citizens. In traditional matters, chiefs rule on customary law and local affairs. District courts serve as appeals courts in cases of tribal law and custom. Cases heard for the first time in criminal and civil matters are handled by administrative officers who function as magistrates in courts located in each of the five administrative regions and Banjul.

16 Armed Forces

The Gambia’s armed forces had 800 active members in 2005, all of whom made up the Gambian National Army. The army’s 70-member naval arm had three coastal patrol boats. The defense budget in 2005 totaled $2.3 million.

17 Economy

The Gambia’s light sandy soil is well suited to the cultivation of peanuts, which is The Gambia’s principal agricultural export. However, in 1990, tourism overtook peanut exports as the nation’s number one industry. The military takeover in 1994 caused The Gambia to lose $50 million in aid. Tourism declined steeply, and Senegal closed the border because of smuggling.

Yearly Growth Rate

This economic indicator tells by what percent the economy has increased or decreased when compared with the previous year.

Tourism in 2002 accounted for 10 to 15% of gross domestic product (GDP). The inflation rate was 8.8% in 2005. Corruption remains an ongoing problem, and the pace of privatization was slow in 2006.

18 Income

In 2005, The Gambia’s gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at $3.1 billion. In that same year, the per capita (per person) GDP was estimated at $1,900. Annual growth of GDP that year was estimated at 6%.

19 Industry

Industries include peanut processing, building and repair of river craft, village handicrafts, and

Components of the Economy

This pie chart shows how much of the country’s economy is devoted to agriculture (including forestry, hunting, and fishing), industry, or services.

clothing manufacture. In February of 2004, the government announced that large deposits of natural gas and oil had been discovered.

20 Labor

In 2002 there were 300,000 persons in the labor force, 10% of whom belonged to unions. About 75% of the population engages in agriculture, with industry, commerce and services accounting for 19% of the labor force. Another 6% were employed by the government.

The minimum legal working age is 18. But since most children complete their formal education at age 14, many enter the workforce on an informal basis at that time. Even very young children perform customary chores on family farms or engage in street trading.

The minimum wage was $0.66 per day in 2002. Most Gambians pool their resources within extended families in order to meet their basic needs.

21 Agriculture

About 80% of the working population are employed in agriculture, which contributed about 31% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2003. The principal cash crop is groundnuts, or peanuts. In 2004, peanut output totaled 73,000 tons. The paddy rice crop that same year was estimated at 22,000 tons. Other food crops in 2004 included an estimated 25,000 tons of corn and 90,000 tons of millet. Mangos, bananas, oranges, pawpaws, and limes are grown mainly in the Western Division. Oil palms provide oil for local consumption and kernels for export. In 2004, palm oil production was estimated at 2,500 tons and kernel output at 2,000 tons.

22 Domesticated Animals

The livestock population in 2005 was estimated at 330,000 head of cattle, 270,000 goats, 148,000 sheep, and 19,000 hogs. Total production of meat that same year was 6,845 tons. Other products included 7,700 tons of cows’ milk and 748 tons of eggs.

23 Fishing

In 2003, the catch was 36,864 tons, as compared with 4,100 tons in 1967. Bonga shad accounted for about 60% of the 2003 catch. Exports of fish products amounted to $1.1 million in 2002. Roundwood removal in 2004 was estimated at 750,000 cubic meters (26 million cubic feet).

24 Forestry

Portions of The Gambia are covered by mangrove forest, open woodland, or savanna with woodland

Yearly Balance of Trade

The balance of trade is the difference between what a country sells to other countries (its exports) and what it buys (its imports). If a country imports more than it exports, it has a negative balance of trade (a trade deficit). If exports exceed imports there is a positive balance of trade (a trade surplus).

or bush. Wood resources are used for fuel (84%), poles, and rural housing construction.

25 Mining

Clays for bricks, laterite, silica sand, cockle-shell, and sand and gravel have been exploited for domestic construction needs. Production of silica sand was at 1,530,000 metric tons in 2004. The Gambia has significant glass and quartz sand deposits and large resources of ilmenite, rutile, tin, and zircon.

26 Foreign Trade

Peanut products are by far The Gambia’s leading export. Other exports include fish, cotton lint, and palm kernels. The leading imports are food, manufactured goods, raw materials, fuel, machinery, and transport equipment.

Principal trading partners include Belgium, the United Kingdom, Senegal, the Netherlands, France, Japan, China, India, Brazil, and the United States.

27 Energy and Power

All electric power is produced at thermal stations. Installed capacity in 2002 totaled 29,000 kilowatts. Production amounted to 135 million kilowatt hours in that same year. In 2004, the government announced that large deposits of oil were discovered.

28 Social Development

A national pension and disability system covers certain employed persons. The retirement age is 55, with early retirement at 45. Worker’s compensation laws are in effect. Women play little part in the public life of this conservative Islamic country. The painful and often life-threatening practice of female genital mutilation continues to be widespread.

29 Health

The Gambia has hospitals in Banjul and Bansang and a health clinic in Konbo. As of 2005, there were 0.1 physicians per 1,000 people, while dentists and pharmacists numbered under 1 per 200,000 people.

Health conditions are poor. In 2005, average life expectancy was estimated at only 56.5 years. Nearly half of all children die by age five, primarily because of malaria and diarrheal diseases. Malaria, tuberculosis, trypanosomiasis (pronounced TRI-pan-o-so-MY-a-sis), and

Selected Social Indicators

The statistics below are the most recent estimates available as of 2006. For comparison purposes, data for the United States and averages for low-income countries and high-income countries are also given. About 15% of the world’s 6.5 billion people live in high-income countries, while 37% live in low-income countries.

Indicator	The Gambia	Low-income countries	High-income countries	United States
sources: World Bank. World Development Indicators. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank, 2006; Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 2006; World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C.
Per capita gross national income (GNI)*	$1,890	$2,258	$31,009	$39,820
Population growth rate	3.3%	2%	0.8%	1.2%
People per square kilometer of land	148	80	30	32
Life expectancy in years: male	55	58	76	75
female	58	60	82	80
Number of physicians per 1,000 people	0.1	0.4	3.7	2.3
Number of pupils per teacher (primary school)	n.a.	43	16	15
Literacy rate (15 years and older)	40%	65%	>95%	99%
Television sets per 1,000 people	15	84	735	938
Internet users per 1,000 people	34	28	538	630
Energy consumed per capita (kg of oil equivalent)	n.a.	501	5,410	7,843
CO² emissions per capita (metric tons)	0.2	0.85	12.97	19.92
* The GNI is the total of all goods and services produced by the residents of a country in a year. The per capita GNI is calculated by dividing a country’s GNI by its population and adjusting for relative purchasing power.
n.a.: data not available >: greater than <: less than

schistosomiasis (pronounced SHIS-toe-so-MY-a-sis) are widespread. The infant mortality rate in 2005 was 73.07 deaths per 1,000 live births.

As of 2004, the number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) was estimated at 6,800. Deaths from AIDS in 2003 were estimated at 600.

30 Housing

A Housing Finance Fund provides low-cost housing and related assistance. As of 2000, about 80% of urban and 52% of rural dwellers had access to improved water sources. In 2001, about 75% of building materials were imported.

31 Education

Primary school is free but not compulsory and lasts for nine years, as of 2002. Secondary schooling is in two stages of three plus three years. Primary school enrollment was estimated at about 79% of age-eligible students in 2003, with secondary school enrollment in that same year at 33% of age-eligible students.

There are nine higher-level schools, including a teachers’ training college. As of 2003, the adult literacy rate was estimated at 40% (males, 47.8%; females, 32.8%).

32 Media

In 2003, there were an estimated 28 mainline telephones, 73 mobile phones, and 13.8 personal computers for every 1,000 people. In 2004, the government operated one radio and one television station. In addition, there was also a single private satellite television station and four private radio stations. In 2003, there were about 394 radios and 15 television sets for every 1,000 people. As of 2005, an estimated 34 people of every 1,000 had access to the Internet.

There is one daily newspaper, The Daily Observer, with a 2002 circulation of 2,000.

The constitution provides for free expression, but as of 2004 the government was reportedly prohibiting all political dissent.

33 Tourism and Recreation

Tourism has experienced significant growth. More than 96,100 foreign tourists arrive in The Gambia yearly, over 92% of them from Europe. There are at least 5,900 hotel beds with a 59% occupancy rate.

34 Famous Gambians

The first prime minister after independence and the first president was Alhaji Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara (b.1924). Col. Yahya Jammeh (b.1965) seized power in 1994 and was elected president in 1996.