from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Gambia
Introduction, The
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 1996 constitution and
presidential elections, followed by parliamentary
balloting in 1997, completed a nominal return to
civilian rule. The country undertook another round of
presidential and legislative elections in late 2001 and
early 2002. Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH, the leader of the
coup, has been elected president in all subsequent
elections.
Geography, The
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and
Senegal
Geographic 13 28 N, 16 34 W
coordinates:
Map Africa
references:
Area: total: 11,300 sq km
land: 10,000 sq km
water: 1,300 sq km
Area - slightly less than twice the size of Delaware
comparative:
Land total: 740 km
boundaries: border countries: Senegal 740 km
Coastline: 80 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive fishing zone: 200 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 lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: unnamed location 53 m
Natural fish, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon,
resources: silica sand, clay, petroleum
Land use: arable land: 27.88%
permanent crops: 0.44%
other: 71.68% (2005)
Irrigated 20 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30
hazards: years)
Environment - deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases
current prevalent
issues:
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the
note: continent of Africa
People, The
Population: 1,641,564 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.3% (male 365,157/female 361,821)
15-64 years: 53% (male 431,627/female 438,159)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 22,889/female 21,911)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 17.7 years
male: 17.6 years
female: 17.8 years (2006 est.)
Population 2.84% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 39.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 12.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 1.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 71.58 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 78.06 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 64.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 54.14 years
expectancy at male: 52.3 years
birth: female: 56.03 years (2006 est.)
Total 5.3 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 1.2% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 6,800 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 600 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Major degree of risk: very high
infectious food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diseases: diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria,
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever are high
risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)
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: 40.1%
male: 47.8%
female: 32.8% (2003 est.)
Government, The
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia
conventional short form: The Gambia
Government republic
type:
Capital: name: Banjul
geographic coordinates: 12 28 N, 16 39 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative 5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Central River, Lower
divisions: River, North Bank, Upper River, Western
Independence: 18 February 1965 (from UK)
National Independence Day, 18 February (1965)
holiday:
Constitution: 24 April 1970; suspended July 1994; rewritten and
approved by national referendum 8 August 1996;
reestablished 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 chief of state: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since
branch: 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); 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
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%
Legislative unicameral National Assembly (53 seats; 48 elected by
branch: popular vote, 5 appointed by the president; members
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 17 January 2002 (next to be held
February 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats
by party - APRC 45, PDOIS 2, NRP 1,
Judicial Supreme Court
branch:
Political Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction
parties and or APRC [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH] (the ruling party);
leaders: 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
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
organization ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
participation: Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, ONUB,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Dodou Bammy JAGNE
representation chancery: Suite 1000, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington,
in the US: DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379
FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph D. STAFFORD, III
representation embassy: Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul
from the US: mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul
telephone: [220] 439-2856, 437-6169, 437-6170
FAX: [220] 439-2475
Flag three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with
description: white edges, and green
Economy, The
Economy - The Gambia has no significant mineral or natural
overview: 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
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.
GDP $3.034 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $429 million (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 5.5% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $1,900 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 30.8%
composition by industry: 14.2%
sector: services: 54.9% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 400,000 (1996)
Labor force - agriculture: 75%
by occupation: industry: 19%
services: 6%
Unemployment NA%
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 8.8% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 20% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $46.63 million
expenditures: $62.66 million; including capital
expenditures of $4.1 million (2005 est.)
Agriculture - rice, millet, sorghum, peanuts, corn, sesame, cassava
products: (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries: processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism,
beverages, agricultural machinery assembly,
woodworking, metalworking, clothing
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 140 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 130.2 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 2,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Current $-53 million (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $140.3 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels,
commodities: re-exports
Exports - India 40.4%, UK 18.2%, Indonesia 8.3%, Senegal 4.6%,
partners: Belgium 4.3% (2005)
Imports: $197 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport
commodities: equipment
Imports - China 21.3%, Senegal 11.3%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.4%, Brazil
partners: 6%, US 5.2%, UK 5.1%, Netherlands 4.1% (2005)
Reserves of $82 million (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $628.8 million (2003 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $59.8 million (2003)
recipient:
Currency dalasi (GMD)
(code):
Currency code: GMD
Exchange dalasi per US dollar - 30.38 (2005), 30.03 (2004),
rates: 27.306 (2004), 19.918 (2003), 15.687 (2002), 15.687
(2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications, The
Telephones - 44,000 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 247,500 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: adequate; a packet switched data
system: network is available
domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and
open-wire
international: country code - 220; microwave radio
relay links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 196,000 (1997)
Television 1 (government-owned) (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 5,000 (2000)
Internet .gm
country code:
Internet 14 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 2 (2001)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 49,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation, The
Airports: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with paved over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Roadways: total: 3,742 km
paved: 723 km
unpaved: 3,019 km (2003)
Waterways: 390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can
reach 190 km) (2004)
Merchant total: 5 ships (1000 GRT or over) 32,064 GRT/9,751 DWT
marine: by type: passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1 (2006)
Ports and Banjul
terminals:
Military, The
Military Gambian National Army (GNA), Gambian Navy (GN),
branches: Presidential Guard, National Guard
Military 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
service age conscription (2001)
and
obligation:
Manpower males age 18-49: 311,025
available for females age 18-49: 316,214 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 183,057
for military females age 18-49: 194,551 (2005 est.)
service:
Military $1.55 million (2005 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 0.4% (2005 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational, The
Issues
Disputes - attempts to stem refugees, cross-border raids, arms
international: smuggling, and other illegal activities by separatists
from southern Senegal's Casamance region, as well as
from conflicts in other west African states