Gambia
OFFICIAL NAME: Gambia
CAPITAL CITY: Banjul
POPULATION: 1,920,000 (2014)
AREA: 11,295 km²
OFFICIAL/OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: English, mandinka, wolof, fulani and approximately 15 other Nigerian-Kordofan
languages
RELIGION: Muslims 90%, Christians 9%, natives' religions 1%
CURRENCY: dalasi
CURRENCY CODE: GMD
ENGLISH NAME: The Gambia, Republic of The Gambia
INDEPENDENCE: 1965
POPULATION COMPOSITION: malinke 40%, fulani 15%, wolof 15%, diola 10%, soninke 8%, tukulor 6%, other
6%
GDP PER CAPITA INH.: $ 502 (2012)
LIFE EXPECTANCY: men 62 years, women 66.7 years (2014)
LIVING CONDITIONS INDEX, HDI: 0441
LIVING CONDITIONS INDEX, POSITION: 172
INTERNET DOMAIN NAME: .gm
Gambia, small republic of West Africa, which includes a narrow belt around
the lower 475 km of the Gambia River. The country was a British colony until
1965 and joined 1982-89 with the enclosing Senegal in the Confederation
of Senegambia - a political construct that never gained any particular practical
significance. The Gambia is a destination for some charter tourists,
including from the Nordic countries.
Gambia - national flag
Gambia - national flag, Gambia adopted its national flag at independence in
1965. The blue stripe in the middle symbolizes the Gambia River, red stands for
the sun, green for agriculture, and white for peace and eternity.
Gambia - Geography
Gambia - geography, the mouth of the Gambia River forms the northern part of
the Gambia's Atlantic coast, while the 50 km long southern part has wide sandy
beaches with coconut palms. At its mouth lies the capital Banjul surrounded
by mangrove forest. Its suburbs lie to the west and turn into the tourist area
with coastal hotels. On the coast there are also a few fishing villages, among
others. Ghana Town, inhabited by Ghanaian immigrants, who traditionally dry and
smoke the fish. Within the coast, the landscape is flat and marked by large, old
baobab trees. Close to the Gambia River, the soil is due to the tide of salt for
cultivation. Incidentally, the river plain is intensively cultivated with rice
fields. On the northern bank lies the village of Juffure, which became known as
the birthplace of Kunta KinteAlex Haley's novel Roots: A Black Family's Saga (1977). At
Soma, the ferry crossing is part of the Transgambian highway connecting the two
parts of Senegal.
The climate is tropical with rainy season from April to September
inland and from June to October on the coast. The rainfall is greatest on the
southern coast, which gets over 1400 mm against approximately 800 mm in the interior
of the country. In the dry season these areas are hit by the dry desert wind,
the harmattan. Population. The Gambia is densely populated
according to African conditions: 91 inc. km2. The main ethnic
groups are Malinke, Fulani (Peul), Wolof, Djola and Soninke.Malinkas
are Muslims, belong to the Mandinka people and make up 40% of the
population. They are traditionally farmers and craftsmen and have retained much
of their traditional culture. Wolof is also a Muslim and represents the most
important group of traders and city officials. Population growth is just under
3%; each woman gives birth in gnsn. 5-6 children. In particular, the health
condition has been poor in the past, and many die
from dysentery, malaria, biliary carcinoma and tuberculosis. However, the
average lifetime is increasing.
350,000 of the residents are immigrant Senegalese; many thousands are
refugees from Casamance in southern Senegal. The border with Senegal has been
closed several times.
- Countryaah:
Do you know how many people there are in Gambia? Check this site to see
population pyramid and resident density about this country.
Economy. Three-quarters of the population is associated with
agriculture. Large areas continue to be cultivated with relocation land where
basic crops such as millet, corn and cassava are supplemented with peanuts as
sales crops. Peanuts and their products often make up 80% of exports. Tourist
revenue, like a significant development aid from the European Union in
particular, contributes greatly to the balance of payments. The tourism industry
was hit by setbacks after stability was broken by the 1994 coup.
The Gambia - Constitution
The Gambia Constitution, The Constitution of the Second Republic of Gambia is
from 1997. The executive power lies with the president, who is both the head of
state and head of government. He is elected for a five-year term by direct
election and can be re-elected an unlimited number of times. He appoints
government members who are responsible both to the president and the National
Assembly, which has the legislative power. It has 53 members, 48 of whom are
elected by direct election and five are appointed by the president. They are
elected for five-year terms.
Gambia - education
Gambia Education, The language of instruction in schools is
traditionally English, at the youngest grades, however, one of the Gambian
languages.
The preschools, which are private, are for the 3-7 year olds. The compulsory
school, which is not compulsory and is followed by 69% (1992), is six years old
and free in contrast to higher education programs. Then follows a three-year
middle school, completed by 22% (1992). As a superstructure there is a
three-year high school, which is completed by approximately 1%. Almost all high
schools are private. Finally, there is a system of four-year vocational
education and shorter higher education, eg teacher education, but no
university-level education.
The Gambian education system is characterized by the low social status of
girls and women and partly by the lack of qualified teachers. Illiteracy in the
population over 15 years is widespread and in 1990 it was more than 70%. Among
other things. with the support of Danida, several adult education initiatives
have been implemented to reduce it; illiteracy was estimated in 2006 to be
approximately 60%.
Gambia - history
Gambia - history, The area around the Gambia River was part of the Mali
Kingdom from the 1200's. to the kingdom's dissolution at the end of
1400-t. malinke, wolof and fulani. In 1455, the Portuguese
discovered CadamostoThe Gambia River, and at the end of the century, trading
stations shot up especially slave trade. In 1588 the British bought the
commercial property, but only in 1660 was Fort James established on an island in
the river. The French fortified a trading station at Albreda on the northern
bank of the river in 1681, and the two nations remained in contention until
1783, when the British gained the right to the Gambia River near a smaller area
around Albreda. In 1807, the British formally banned slave trade, and to enforce
this ban and control the entry to the river, in 1816 Bathurst, the
present Banjul, was established. In 1857, Albreda also became British, but
French expansion in surrounding Senegal prevented further expansions; the
British attempt to trade the isolated area failed due to opposition from trade
interests in The Gambia and the United Kingdom. Until the period 1843-66, until
1888, Gambia was administered from Sierra Leone. A treaty set the current
boundaries in 1889, and five years later Gambia became an independent British
protectorate.
Reforms after World War II gradually brought more self-determination. Several
parties were founded, including PPP (Protectorate People's Party,
later Progressive People's Party) in 1959 under Dawda
Jawara's leadership, and in 1965 Gambia became independent with Jawara as Prime
Minister. In 1970, Gambia was transformed into a republic - though without
withdrawing from the Commonwealth - and Jawara became the country's first
president.
A coup attempt in 1981 was averted with Senegalese assistance; Another
consequence of the close neighborhood was the establishment of the Confederation
of Senegambia the following year. The state community was dissolved due to
disagreement in 1989, but was replaced in 1991 by cooperation and friendship
agreements. In July 1994, Jawara was deposed by a bloodless coup led by Yahya
Jammehat the head of a group of younger officers. Jammeh suspended the
constitution, dissolved the political parties and even assumed the presidential
post. In January 1995, Jammeh himself was subjected to a coup attempt. He
promised that Gambia would return to democracy with an election in 1996. Jammeh
won the election in 1996 and was re-elected in 2001, 2006 and again in 2011 for
a five-year term. However, he was criticized from several sides for oppression
of opposition and media as well as election fraud.
In October 2013, Gambia surprisingly opted out of the Commonwealth. The state
community had previously criticized Jammeh's autocratic rule.
Fighting between Senegalese military and rebels in Senegalese Casamance
province caused thousands of refugees in 2006 to search across the Gambia
border.
At the 2016 election, Jammeh was beaten by Adama Barrow. After a period in
which Jammeh refused to acknowledge the election results, in January 2017, after
strong international pressure, he was forced to leave the country, after which
Barrow resigned as president.
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