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Guide
Introduction
| |
| Background: |
The Gambia gained its
independence from the UK in 1965; it formed a short-lived federation of
Senegambia with Senegal between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations
signed a friendship and cooperation treaty. A military coup in 1994
overthrew the president and banned political activity, but a new 1996
constitution and presidential elections, followed by parliamentary
balloting in 1997, have completed a nominal return to civilian rule. |
| Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the
North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
13 28 N, 16 34 W |
| Area: |
total: 11,300 sq
km
land: 10,000 sq km
water: 1,300 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly less than twice the
size of Delaware |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 740 km
border countries: Senegal 740 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous zone:
18 NM
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| 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
highest point: unnamed location 53 m |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 18%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 28%
other: 45% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
150 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
drought (rainfall has dropped
by 30% in the last 30 years) |
| Environment
- current issues: |
deforestation;
desertification; water-borne diseases prevalent |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography
- note: |
almost an enclave of Senegal;
smallest country on the continent of Africa |
| Population: |
1,411,205 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
45.22% (male 320,458; female 317,647)
15-64 years: 52.13% (male 364,900; female 370,717)
65 years and over: 2.65% (male 19,660; female 17,823) (2001
est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
3.14% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
41.76 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
12.92 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
2.59 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.03
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
77.84 deaths/1,000 live
births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
53.59 years
male: 51.65 years
female: 55.58 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
5.68 children born/woman
(2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
1.95% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
13,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
1,400 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Gambian(s)
adjective: Gambian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
African 99% (Mandinka 42%,
Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1% |
| Religions: |
Muslim 90%, Christian 9%,
indigenous beliefs 1% |
| Languages: |
English (official), Mandinka,
Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars |
| Literacy: |
definition: age
15 and over can read and write
total population: 47.5%
male: 58.4%
female: 37.1% (2001 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of The Gambia
conventional short form: The Gambia |
| Government
type: |
republic under multiparty
democratic rule |
| Administrative
divisions: |
5 divisions and 1 city*;
Banjul*, Lower River, Central River, North Bank, Upper River, Western |
| Independence: |
18 February 1965 (from UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day, 18 February
(1965) |
| Constitution: |
24 April 1970; suspended July
1994; rewritten and approved by national referendum 8 August 1996;
reestablished in January 1997 |
| Legal
system: |
based on a composite of
English common law, Koranic law, and customary law; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); 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); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet is appointed by the president
elections: the president is elected by popular vote for a
five-year term; the number of terms is not restricted; election last
held 26 September 1996 (next to be held NA October 2001)
election results: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH elected president;
percent of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 55.8%, Ousainou DARBOE 35.8% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral National Assembly
(49 seats; 45 elected by popular vote, 4 appointed by the president;
members serve five-year terms)
elections: last popular election held 2 January 1997 (next
to be held NA January 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - APRC 33, UDP 7, NRP 2, PDOIS 1, independents 2 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Alliance for Patriotic
Reorientation and Construction or APRC [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH]; 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]
note: in August 1996 the government banned the following
from participation in the elections of 1996: People's Progressive Party
or PPP [former President Dawda K. JAWARA (in exile)], and two opposition
parties - the National Convention Party or NCP [former Vice President
Sheriff DIBBA] and the Gambian People's Party or GPP [Hassan Musa CAMARA] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM,
OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador John P. BOJANG
chancery: Suite 1000, 1155 15th Street NW, Washington, DC
20005
telephone: [1] (202) 785-1399
FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador George W. B. HALEY
embassy: Fajara, Kairaba Avenue, Banjul
mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul
telephone: [220] 392856, 392858, 391970, 391971
FAX: [220] 392475 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal horizontal bands
of red (top), blue with white edges, and green |
| Economy
- overview: |
The Gambia has no important
mineral or other natural resources 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, instability of the Gambian dalasi, and the stable
political situation in Senegal have drawn some of the reexport trade
away from Banjul. The government's 1998 seizure of the private peanut
firm Alimenta eliminated the largest purchaser of Gambian groundnuts;
the following two marketing seasons have seen significantly lower prices
and sales. A decline in tourism from 1999 to 2000 has also held back
growth. Unemployment and underemployment rates are extremely high.
Shortrun economic progress remains highly dependent on sustained
bilateral and multilateral aid, on responsible government economic
management as forwarded by IMF technical help and advice, and on
expected growth in the construction sector. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$1.5 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
4.9% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$1,100 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 21%
industry: 12%
services: 67% (1998 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
3.4% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 75%, industry,
commerce, and services 19%, government 6% |
| Budget: |
revenues: $90.5
million
expenditures: $80.9 million, including capital expenditures
of $4.1 million (2001 est.) |
| Industries: |
processing peanuts, fish, and
hides; tourism; beverages; agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking,
metalworking; clothing |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
75 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
69.8 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
peanuts, millet, sorghum,
rice, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep,
goats; forest and fishery resources not fully exploited |
| Exports: |
$125.8 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
peanuts and peanut products,
fish, cotton lint, palm kernels |
| Exports
- partners: |
Benelux 59%, Japan 20%, UK
7%, Spain 2% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$202.5 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
foodstuffs, manufactures,
fuel, machinery and transport equipment |
| Imports
- partners: |
China (including Hong Kong)
49%, UK 15%, Netherlands 11.6%, Brazil 10%, Senegal 10% (1997) |
| Debt
- external: |
$440 million (2001 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$45.4 million (1995) |
| Exchange
rates: |
dalasi per US dollar - 15.000
(January 2001), 12.729 (3d quarter 1999), 11.395 (1999), 10.643 (1998),
10.200 (1997), 9.789 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
31,900 (2000) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
5,624 (2000) |
| Telephone
system: |
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) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0
(2000) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (government-owned) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
5,000 (2000) |
| Internet
country code: |
.gm |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
2 (2001) |
| Internet
users: |
5,000 (2001) |
| Highways: |
total: 2,700 km
paved: 956 km
unpaved: 1,744 km (1996) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Banjul |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army (includes marine unit),
National Police, Presidential Guard |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
316,873 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
159,764 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$2.6 million (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2% (FY96/97) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
