Map of The Gambia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965. Geographically surrounded by Senegal it formed a short-lived federation of Senegambia between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations signed a friendship and cooperation treaty but tensions have flared up intermittently since then. Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH led a military coup in 1994 that overthrew the president and banned political activity. A new constitution and presidential elections in 1996 followed by parliamentary balloting in 1997 completed a nominal return to civilian rule. JAMMEH has been elected president in all subsequent elections including most recently in late 2006.


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Location: Western Africa bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal

Geographic coordinates: 13 28 N 16 34 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 11,300 km²
Land: 10,000 km²
Water: 1,300 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Delaware

Land boundaries
Total: 740 km
Border countries: (1) Senegal 740 km

Coastline: 80 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 18 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: extent not specified

Climate: tropical; hot rainy season (June to November); cooler dry season (November to May)

Terrain: flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: unnamed location 53 m

Natural resources: fish titanium (rutile and ilmenite) tin zircon silica sand clay petroleum

Land use
Arable land: 27.88%
Permanent crops: 0.44%
Other: 71.68% (2005)

Irrigated land: 20 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 8 km³ (1982)

Natural hazards: drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years)

Geography
Note: almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the continent of Africa


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Population: 1,735,464 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 2.724% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Gambian
Adjective: Gambian

Ethnic groups: African 99% (Mandinka 42% Fula 18% Wolof 16% Jola 10% Serahuli 9% other 4%) non-African 1% (2003 census)

Languages: English (official) Mandinka Wolof Fula other indigenous vernaculars

Religions: Muslim 90% Christian 8% indigenous beliefs 2%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 43.9% (male 382,385/female 378,853)
15-64 years: 53.4% (male 459,315/female 466,689)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 24,303/female 23,919) (2008 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 17.9 years
Male: 17.7 years
Female: 18 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.724% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 38.36 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 11.74 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.61 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases prevalent
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female (2008 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 68.72 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 75.07 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 62.18 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 54.95 years
Male: 53.06 years
Female: 56.9 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 6,800 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 600 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and yellow fever
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 2% of GDP (2004)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 40.1%
Male: 47.8%
Female: 32.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 7 years
Male: 7 years
Female: 7 years (2004)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia
Conventional short form: The Gambia

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Banjul
Geographic coordinates: 13 27 N, 16 34 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul* Central River Lower River North Bank Upper River Western

Dependent areas

Independence: 18 February 1965 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 18 February (1965)

Constitution: approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; effective 16 January 1997

Legal system: based on a composite of English common law Islamic law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); note - from 1994 to 1996 he was chairman of the Junta; Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 22 September 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
Election results: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH reelected president; percent of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 67.3%, Ousainou DARBOE 26.6%, Halifa SALLAH 6.0%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 25 January 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APRC 47, UDP 4, NADD 1, independent 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or APRC (the ruling party) [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH]; Gambia People's Democratic Party or GPDP [Henry GOMEZ]; National Alliance for Democracy and Development or NADD [Halifa SALLAH]; 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]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Ousainou DARBOE]

International organization participation: ABEDA ACP AfDB AU C ECOWAS FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MINURCAT NAM OIC OPCW UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIL UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Abdul Rahman COLE
In the us chancery: Suite 600, 1424 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20,005
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379
In the us fax: [1] (202) 785-1430
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Barry L. WELLS
From the us embassy: Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul
From the us mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul
From the us telephone: [220] 439-2,856, 437-6,169, 437-6,170
From the us fax: [220] 439-2,475

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top) blue with white edges and green

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The Gambia has no confirmed mineral or natural resource deposits and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the population depends on crops and livestock for its livelihood. Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of peanuts fish and hides. Reexport trade normally constitutes a major segment of economic activity but a 1999 government-imposed preshipment inspection plan and instability of the Gambian dalasi (currency) have drawn some of the reexport trade away from The Gambia. The Gambia's natural beauty and proximity to Europe has made it one of the larger markets for tourism in West Africa. The government's 1998 seizure of the private peanut firm Alimenta eliminated the largest purchaser of Gambian groundnuts. Despite an announced program to begin privatizing key parastatals no plans have been made public that would indicate that the government intends to follow through on its promises. Unemployment and underemployment rates remain extremely high; short-run economic progress depends on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid on responsible government economic management on continued technical assistance from the IMF and bilateral donors and on expected growth in the construction sector.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $2.061 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 7% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $1200 (2007 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 32.8%
Industry: 8.7%
Services: 58.5% (2007 est.)

Agriculture products: rice millet sorghum peanuts corn sesame cassava (tapioca) palm kernels; cattle sheep goats

Industries: processing peanuts fish and hides; tourism beverages agricultural machinery assembly woodworking metalworking clothing

Industrial production growth rate: -2.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 400,000 (1996)
By occupation agriculture: 75%
By occupation industry: 19%
By occupation services: 6% (1996)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.8%
Highest 10: 37% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index: 50.2 (1998)

Budget
Revenues: $181.1 million
Expenditures: $163.4 million (2007 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 10% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 27.92% (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $169.9 million (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$71 million (2007 est.)

Exports: $88 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: peanut products fish cotton lint palm kernels re-exports
Partners: India 37.7% China 17.5% UK 8.7% France 5.1% Belgium 4.2% (2007)

Imports: $271 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs manufactures fuel machinery and transport equipment
Partners: China 23.7% Senegal 11.5% Cote d'Ivoire 8.3% Brazil 8% Netherlands 5.2% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $142.8 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $628.8 million (2003 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: dalasis (GMD) per US dollar - 27.79 (2007) 28.066 (2006) 28.575 (2005) 30.03 (2004) 27.306 (2003)


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Electricity
Production: 200.2 million kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption: 143.6 million kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 76,400 (2007)
Mobile cellular: 795,900 (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: adequate; a packet switched data network is available; two mobile-cellular service providers
Domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity reached 50 telephones per 100 persons in 2007
International: country code - 220; microwave radio relay links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .gm
Hosts: 320 (2008)
Users: 100,200 (2007)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.5% of GDP (2006)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1 (2007)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 3,742 km
Paved: 723 km
Unpaved: 3,019 km (2004)

Waterways: 390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can reach 190 km) (2006)

Merchant marine
Total: 5
By type: passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals: Banjul


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Disputes international: attempts to stem refugees cross-border raids arms smuggling and other illegal activities by separatists from southern Senegal's Casamance region as well as from conflicts in other west African states

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 5,955 (Sierra Leone) (2007)

Illicit drugs