The Gambia
The Gambia is officially called the Republic of the Gambia. This country is also known as Gambia.[5] It is a country in West Africa. It is surrounded by Senegal. It is the smallest country on mainland Africa.
Republic of the Gambia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Motto: | |
| Anthem: | |
 Location of the Gambia (dark red area within circle) on the coast of West Africa. | |
| Capital | Banjul 13°28′N 16°36′W / 13.467°N 16.600°WCoordinates: 13°28′N 16°36′W / 13.467°N 16.600°W |
| Official languages | English |
List:
| |
| Ethnic groups (2003) | |
| Demonym(s) | Gambian |
| Government | Presidential republic |
| Adama Barrow | |
| Isatou Touray | |
| Legislature | National Assembly |
| Area | |
• Total | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1850: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). (164th) |
• Water (%) | 11.5 |
| Population | |
• 2017 estimate | 2,051,363[1] (146) |
• 2013 census | 1,857,181 |
• Density | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1850: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). (74th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2017 estimate |
• Total | $3.582 billion[2] |
• Per capita | $1,686[2] |
| GDP (nominal) | 2017 estimate |
• Total | $1.038 billion[2] |
• Per capita | $488[2] |
| Gini (2015) | ▼ 35.9[3] medium |
| HDI (2018) |  0.466[4]low · 174th |
| Currency | Dalasi (GMD) |
| Time zone | GMT |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +220 |
| ISO 3166 code | GM |
| Internet TLD | .gm |
Banjul is the capital city.[6] The largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.[7]
Geography
The geography of Gambia is unusual. It is a long, thin country. Except for its coastline it is completely surrounded by the country of Senegal. The River Gambia flows from Senegal through its centre and into the Atlantic Ocean.
Climate
The Gambia has a tropical climate. A hot and rainy season normally lasts from June until November.[8]
Politics and government
The Gambia gained independence from the United Kingdom on 18 February 1965. It was ruled by Dawda Jawara and his People's Progressive Party (PPP) from 1965 to 1994. There was a military take-over in 1994. In 1996, Yahya Jammeh became president. Then in 2016, Adama Barrow was elected.
Administrative divisions
The Gambia is divided into eight local government areas. They are:
As of 2013, these are then divided into 43 districts.
Culture
The population of The Gambia is about 1.7 million. People from The Gambia are called Gambians. A number of people from different cultures and backgrounds live in The Gambia. Some of the largest groups are called Mandinka, Fula, Wolof and Jolo, in that order.
English is the official language, but people speak other languages as well.
Most Gambians follow the religion of Islam.
The American writer Alex Haley, who wrote the book Roots, found that his family came from The Gambia in the 1760s.
The Gambia Media
"For The Gambia Our Homeland", the national anthem of the Gambia, performed instrumentally by the United States Navy Band circa 2000.
Senegambian stone circles (megaliths) which run from Senegal through The Gambia and are described by UNESCO as "the largest concentration of stone circles seen anywhere in the world".
A map of James Island and Fort Gambia
Stamp with portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953
Kololi beach on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean
The Arch 22 monument commemorating the 1994 coup which saw the then 29-year-old Yahya Jammeh seize power in a bloodless coup, ousting Dawda Jawara, who had been President of The Gambia since 1970
Yahya Jammeh and Mrs. Zeinab Jammeh with Barack and Michelle Obama in the White House, August 2014
U.S. AFRICOM commander Carter Ham and senior Gambian Army officer Masaneh Kinteh surveying the troops, 21 July 2011
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References
- ↑ "The World Factbook: Gambia, The". CIA. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "The Gambia". International Monetary Fund.
- ↑ "GINI index (World Bank estimate) - Data". data.worldbank.org. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ↑ "Human Development Report 2019". United Nations Development Programme. 10 December 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ↑ There is variability in the use of the definite article, and whether it is capitalized. The British Permanent Committee on Geographical Names notes, We do have a letter dated May 1964 from the Gambian prime minister's office which instructed us that it should be The Gambia with a capital T. One of the reasons they gave was that Gambia could be confused with Zambia, which was a new name to the international community at the time.[1] However, in running text the present Gambian government generally does not capitalize the "the", and in captions it drops the "the" altogether.[2] Archived 2009-12-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Banjul | national capital, The Gambia". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ↑ "Population of Cities in Gambia (2019)".
- ↑ Hayward, Derek; J. S. Oguntoyinbo (1987). Climatology of West Africa. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-389-20721-4.
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