Africa

Gambia

Located on the west coast of Africa, Gambia is bordered by Senegal in the north, east and south and by the Atlantic Ocean on the west.

The Gambia River, the country’s major waterway, rises in the Futa Jallon in Guinea and follows a twisting path for 1,000 miles to the sea. In its last 300 miles, the river flows through the Gambia, narrowing to a width of 3 miles at Banjul. Mangrove swamps line both sides of the river for the first 100 miles from the sea; the mangroves then give way to more open country and, in places, the red ironstone cliffs. The land on either side of the river is generally open savanna with wooded areas along the drainage channels...More Information on Gambia.

Full country name: Republic of The Gambia
Area: 4,362.95 sq mi
Population: 1,367,124
Capital City:Banjul
Language: English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars
Religion: Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Government: republic under multiparty democratic rule
Head of State: President Alhaji Yahya Jammeh
Head of Government: Isatou Njie SAIDY

History of Gambia

The Gambia belonged to the Ghana Empire in the 10th and 11th century. In the 13th century the country was a part of the Mali Empire. During the 15th century the River Gambia was explored by the Portuguese, who trade slaves and gold in the 16th century. In 1618 the English
‘Company of Adventures of London Trading into Africa’ got a charter for trade for The Gambia. In 1662 the English built a fort and since that time their influence upon this region became stronger and stronger. In 1678 the charter was assigned to the Royal Africa Company....More on Gambia's History.

Overview of Gambia's Economy

GDP:GDP per capita:$1,100 (2000 est.)
Inflation: 7%
Major Industries: processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism; beverages; agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking; clothing
Major Trading Partners: UK, India, China, Germany, Belgium, Malaysia, Italy, Senegal, Brazil, U.S., Netherlands (2003).
Agriculture: peanuts, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats; forest and fishery resources not fully exploited
Arable Land: 18%
Natural Resources: Fish
Member of EU: No

Also Read: A short note on Economy of Gambia

Political System of Gambia

- Government of Gambia
- Foreign relations of Gambia
- Defence of Gambia

Climate, Vegetation and Fauna

In September or October here the rain ease off and there starts a sunny season that lasts until April or May. Sea breezes (the north-east trade winds) keep temperatures on the coast at an equable and pleasant average of 24 degrees (76 Fahrenheit). During the eight , with the last 30 years’ median minimum of 16°C/61°F. From January to May it climbs back to the October-November peak, measured over the same period as a maximum of 32°C/91°F. At this time of the year, humidity is at an ideal 50-60%. Days are warm and nights cool.


Envoirnment: With a total area less than that of the Bahamas or the US state of Connecticut...more.

Culture: Although Gambia is the smallest country in Africa, its culture is the product...more.

Facts for the Traveler

Visas: Citizens of the member countries of ECOWAS, all Commonwealth countries, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden do not need a visa/entry permit for a max. of 28 days. Otherwise, there is a visa fee (American citizens are exempt) plus a processing fee for all other applicants
Health risks: Tick-borne encephalitis, hepatitis, yellow fever, rabies, typhoid fever and Malaria (particularly bad up-country in the wet season)
Time: same as GMT/UTC
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

Also Read: Money & Costs |Transportation in Gambia | Public holidays in Gambia | Events Of Gambia

When to Go

The best time to travel in The Gambia is from November to March, when conditions are dry and relatively cool. However, around this same time of year the dry, dusty harmattan winds blow off the Sahara. December to February is the local trading season, assuming the rains came when they should have, and everybody’s a little more relaxed than usual, perhaps with a bit of extra money to spend, so the markets are at their liveliest. During the ‘rainy’ season (June to October), popular tourist areas are less crowded and cheaper, and the country still gets an average of five hours of sunlight per day. The only problem you’re likely to notice is some smaller dirt roads washing away. The peak tourist season lasts from October through April, which coincides with the visits of the migratory birds.

Also Read: Getting Around in Gambia | Getting There & Away

What to See in Gambia

Other Tourist Attractions in Gambia

more...

What to do in Gambia

The beaches of the Atlantic Coast resorts are safe for swimming and get better the farther south you go. All of the major hotels have swimming pools and rent equipment for water sports such as sailboarding, water skiing and kneeboarding. Fishing excursions can be arranged in Banjul.Cycling is not only good exercise, but it can be a great way to get around and tour The Gambia. Bikes are available for rent - anything from a lightweight mountain bike to an ancient, single-gear, sit-up-and-beg roadster - in many tourist areas.Football (soccer) is Africa’s most popular game, and informal pick-up matches can be found in just about any town or village. Foreigners are usually warmly welcomed, and joining a game may be one of the best ways to meet the locals. If you bring along your own ball (which could be deflated for travelling), you’ll be the hit of the day. Wrestling is also very popular, with a sort of anything-goes mentality making the sport that much more exciting. Matches are held year round.Even amateur ornithologists will delight in the birdwatching possibilities to be had in The Gambia. Your best bet is to head to one of the country’s national parks or reserves in the early morning or late afternoon. Migratory birds make the rounds between October and April.

The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by Bantu tribes during a series of migrations. The southern part of the country was named Matabeleland after the Ndebele tribe who occupied the area in the early 1800’s under a loose confederation of Ndebele-speaking tribes headed by the Khumalo tribe under [...]
Countries in Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Cote d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Religion in Africa Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs, with Christianity and Islam being the most widespread. Approximately 40% of all Africans are Christians and another 40% Muslims. Roughly 20% of Africans primarily follow indigenous African religions. A small number of Africans also have beliefs from the Judaic tradition, such as the Beta Israel [...]
Culture of Africa Africa has a number of overlapping cultures. The most conventional distinction is that between sub-Saharan Africa and the northern countries from Egypt to Morocco, who largely associate themselves with Arabic culture. In this comparison, the nations to the south of the Sahara are considered to consist of many cultural areas, in particular [...]
Demographics of Africa Africans may be grouped according to whether they live north or south of the Sahara Desert; these groups are called North Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans, respectively. Afro-Asiatic speaking peoples predominate in North Africa, while Sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by a number of disparate populations grouped according to their diverse languages–Niger-Congo predominantly in West [...]
Economy of Africa Africa is the world’s poorest inhabited continent: the United Nations’ Human Development Report 2003 (of 175 countries) found that positions 151 (Gambia) to 175 (Sierra Leone) were taken up entirely by African nations. It has had (and in some ways is still having) a shaky and uncertain transition from colonialism, with increases in corruption [...]
Politics in Africa Colonial Africa Colonialism had a destabilizing effect on what had been a number of ethnic groups that is still being felt in African politics. Prior to European influence, national borders were not much of a concern, with Africans generally following the practice of other areas of the world, such as the Arabian peninsula, where [...]
History of Africa Africa is home to the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human race originating from this continent. During the mid 20th century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. The famous Leakey family, with ties to both Britain and Africa, discovered fossil [...]
Geography of Africa Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth’s surface. It includes within its remarkably regular outline an area, of c. 30,360,288 km² (11,722,173 mi²), including the islands. Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the [...]
Etymology of Africa The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra - “land of the Afri” (plural, or “Afer” singular) - for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. The Afri were a tribe - possibly Berber [...]

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