Gambia. English. |
| The World Factbook 2002 | ||
| Gambia, The | 
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|
 |
| Introduction | Gambia, 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 new 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. |
| Geography | Gambia, The |
| Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
13 28 N, 16 34 W |
| Map
references: |
Africa |
| 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 |
| Coastline: |
80 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous zone:
18 NM territorial sea: 12 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
extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic
Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 53 m |
| Natural
resources: |
fish |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 19.5%
permanent crops: 0.5% other: 80% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
20 sq km (1998 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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 |
| People | Gambia, The |
| Population: |
1,455,842 (July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 45.1%
(male 329,530; female 326,627) 15-64 years: 52.3% (male 377,357; female 383,548) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 20,237; female 18,543) (2002 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
3.09% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
41.25 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
12.63 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
2.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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: 1.09 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
76.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
53.98 years female: 56.01 years (2002 est.) male: 52.02 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
5.61 children born/woman (2002 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.) |
| Government | Gambia, The |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of The Gambia conventional short form: The Gambia |
| Government
type: |
republic under multiparty democratic rule |
| Capital: |
Banjul |
| Administrative
divisions: |
5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Central River, Lower 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; note - from 1994 to 1996
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 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; the number of terms is not restricted; election last held 18 October 2001 (next to be held NA October 2006) election results: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH reelected president; percent of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 52.9%, Ousainou DARBOE 32.7% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral National Assembly
(53 seats; 48 elected by popular vote, five appointed by the president;
members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 17 January 2002 (next to be held NA January 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - APRC 45, PDOIS 2, NRP 1, |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
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 |
| 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, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Essa Bokar SEY chancery: Suite 1000, 1155 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1399 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jackson McDONALD embassy: Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul telephone: [220] 392856, 392858, 391971 FAX: [220] 392475 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green |
| Economy | Gambia, The |
| 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, and instability of the Gambian dalasi (currency) 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 substantially lower prices and sales. A decline in tourism in 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. Record crops undergirded sturdy growth in 2001. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5.7% (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $1,770 (2001 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): |
4% (2001 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
400,000 400,000 |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 75%, industry, commerce, and services 19%, government 6% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
NA% |
| 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 (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
69.75 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
peanuts, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats; forest and fishery resources not fully exploited |
| Exports: |
$139.2 million f.o.b. (2001) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
peanuts and peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels |
| Exports
- partners: |
Benelux 26%, Japan 15%, UK 14%, Brazil 7% (2000) |
| Imports: |
$200.3 million f.o.b. (2001) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment |
| Imports
- partners: |
China (including Hong Kong) 18%, UK 10%, Netherlands 8%, France 6%, Brazil 6% (2000) |
| Debt
- external: |
$440 million (2001 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$45.4 million (1995) (1995) |
| Currency: |
dalasi (GMD) |
| Currency
code: |
GMD |
| Exchange
rates: |
dalasi per US dollar - 15.000 (January 2001), 12.788 (2000), 11.395 (1999), 10.643 (1998), 10.200 (1997) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Communications | Gambia, The |
| 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 2, shortwave 0 (2001) |
| Radios: |
196,000 (1997) |
| 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) |
| Transportation | Gambia, The |
| Railways: |
0 km |
| Highways: |
total: 2,700 km paved: 956 km unpaved: 1,744 km (1996) |
| Waterways: |
400 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Banjul |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2002 est.) |
| Airports: |
1 (2001) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
| Military | Gambia, The |
| Military
branches: |
Gambian National Army (GNA) (includes marine unit), National Police, Presidential Guard |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49: 327,677 (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49: 165,249 (2002 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$1.2 million (FY01) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
0.3% (FY01) |
| Transnational Issues | Gambia, The |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
Source:
The World Factbook 2002
Last Updated: 19 March 2003
2000-2007
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