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The Gambia

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Countries;
Countries

   SOS Children works in The Gambia. For more information see SOS Children
   in The Gambia, Africa
                Republic of The Gambia

   Flag of The Gambia Coat of arms of The Gambia
   Flag               Coat of arms
   Motto: "Progress, Peace, Prosperity"
   Anthem: For The Gambia Our Homeland
   Location of The Gambia
          Capital        Banjul
                         13°28′N 16°36′W
       Largest city      Serrekunda
    Official languages   English
   Government            Republic
    - President          Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh
       Independence
    - from the UK        February 18, 1965
    - Republic declared  April 24, 1970
                         Area
    - Total              10,380 km² ( 164th)
                         4,007 sq mi
    - Water (%)          11.5
                      Population
    - July 2005 estimate 1,517,000 ( 149th)
    - Density            153.5/km² ( 74th)
                         397.6/sq mi
        GDP ( PPP)       2005 estimate
    - Total              $3.094 billion ( 171st)
    - Per capita         $2002 ( 144th)
        HDI  (2003)      0.470 (low) ( 155th)
         Currency        Dalasi ( GMD)
         Time zone       GMT ( UTC)
       Internet TLD      .gm
       Calling code      +220

   The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in
   Western Africa. It is the smallest country on the African continental
   mainland and is bordered to the north, east, and south by Senegal, and
   has a small coast on the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The River Gambia
   flows through the centre of the country and empties into the Atlantic
   Ocean. On 18 February 1965, The Gambia became independent from the
   British Empire. Banjul is its capital.

History

   The first written accounts of the region come from records of Arab
   traders in the ninth and tenth centuries AD. In 1066, the inhabitants
   of Tekrur, a kingdom centered on the Sénégal River just to the north,
   became the first people in the region to convert to Islam. Muslim
   traders established the trans-Saharan trade route for slaves, gold, and
   ivory. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, most of what is
   today called The Gambia was a tributary to the Mali Empire. The
   Portuguese reached the area by sea in the mid-fifteenth century and
   began to dominate the lucrative trade.

   In 1588, the claimant to the Portuguese throne, António, Prior of
   Crato, sold exclusive trade rights on the Gambia River to English
   merchants; this grant was confirmed by letters patent from Queen
   Elizabeth I. In 1618, James I granted a charter to a British company
   for trade with Gambia and the Gold Coast (now Ghana). Between 1651 and
   1661, part of Gambia was (indirectly) a colony of the Polish-Lithuanian
   Commonwealth; it was purchased by the Courlandish prince Jakub Kettler.
   At that time Courland, in present-day Latvia, was a fiefdom of the
   Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Courlanders settled on James
   Island, which they called St. Andrews Island, and used it as a trade
   base from 1651 until it was captured by the English in 1661.
   A map of James Island and Fort Gambia.
   Enlarge
   A map of James Island and Fort Gambia.

   During the late seventeenth century and throughout the eighteenth,
   England and France struggled continually for political and commercial
   supremacy in the regions of the Senegal and Gambia rivers. The 1783
   Treaty of Versailles gave Great Britain possession of the Gambia river,
   but the French retained a tiny enclave at Albreda on its north bank,
   which was ceded to the United Kingdom in 1857.

   As many as three million slaves may have been taken from the region
   during the three centuries of the transatlantic slave trade. In 1807,
   slave trading was abolished throughout the British Empire, and the
   British tried unsuccessfully to end the practice in Gambia. They
   established the military post of Bathurst (now Banjul) in 1816. In the
   ensuing years, Banjul was at times under the jurisdiction of the
   British governor-general in Sierra Leone. In 1888, Gambia became a
   separate colonial entity. In 1889, it became a crown colony.
   An 1880 stamp from Gambia.
   Enlarge
   An 1880 stamp from Gambia.

   After World War II, the pace of constitutional reform quickened.
   Following general elections in 1962, full internal self-government was
   granted in 1963. The Gambia gained independence on February 18, 1965,
   as a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations. On
   April 24, 1970, The Gambia became a republic following a referendum.
   (The word "The" became an official part of the name only upon
   independence.)

   Until a military coup in July 1994, The Gambia was led by President Sir
   Dawda Kairaba Jawara, who was re-elected five times. The relative
   stability of the Jawara era was first broken by a violent, unsuccessful
   coup attempt in 1981.

   In the aftermath of the attempted coup, Senegal and The Gambia signed
   the 1982 Treaty of Confederation. The result, the Senegambia
   Confederation, aimed eventually to combine the armed forces of the two
   nations and to unify economies and currencies. The Gambia withdrew from
   the confederation in 1989.
   Arch 22 monument, a memorial of the 1994 coup.
   Enlarge
   Arch 22 monument, a memorial of the 1994 coup.

   In July 1994, the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC)
   seized power in a military coup d'état, deposing the government of Sir
   Dawda Jawara. Lieutenant Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, chairman of the AFPRC,
   became head of state. The AFPRC announced a transition plan for return
   to democratic civilian government. The Provisional Independent
   Electoral Commission (PIEC) was established in 1996 to conduct national
   elections. The PIEC was transformed to the Independent Electoral
   Commission (IEC) in 1997 and became responsible for registration of
   voters and conduct of elections and referenda. In late 2001 and early
   2002, The Gambia completed a full cycle of presidential, legislative,
   and local elections, which foreign observers deemed free, fair, and
   transparent, albeit with some shortcomings. President Yahya Jammeh, who
   was re-elected, took the oath of office again on December 21, 2001. The
   APRC maintained its strong majority in the National Assembly,
   particularly after the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP)
   boycotted the legislative elections.

Politics

   Marina Parade street.
   Enlarge
   Marina Parade street.

   Before the 1994 coup d'état, The Gambia was one of the oldest existing
   multi-party democracies in Africa. It had conducted freely contested
   elections every five years since independence. After the coup,
   politicians from deposed President Jawara's People's Progressive Party
   (PPP) and other senior government officials were banned from
   participating in politics until July 2001.

   A presidential election took place in September 1996, in which retired
   Col. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh won 56% of the vote. Four registered
   opposition parties participated in the October 18, 2001, presidential
   election, which the incumbent, President Jammeh, won with almost 53% of
   the votes. The APRC maintained its strong majority in the National
   Assembly in legislative elections held in January 2002, particularly
   after the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) boycotted the
   legislative elections. On the 21st and 22nd of March 2006, amid
   tensions preceding the 2006 presidential elections, an alleged planned
   military coup was uncovered. President Yahya Jammeh was forced to
   return from a trip to Mauritania, many suspected army officials were
   arrested, and prominent army officials, including the army chief of
   staff, fled the country.

   There are claims circulating that this whole event was fabricated by
   the President incumbent for his own purposes; however, the veracity of
   these claims is not known, as no corroborating evidence has yet been
   brought forward.

   The 1970 constitution, which divided the government into independent
   executive, legislative, and judicial branches, was suspended after the
   1994 military coup. As part of the transition process, the AFPRC
   established the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) through decree in
   March 1995. In accordance with the timetable for the transition to a
   democratically elected government, the commission drafted a new
   constitution for The Gambia, which was approved by referendum in August
   1996. The constitution provides for a strong presidential government, a
   unicameral legislature, an independent judiciary, and the protection of
   human rights.

Administrative divisions

   Map of The Gambia.
   Enlarge
   Map of The Gambia.

   The Gambia is divided into five five divisions and one city. These are:
     * Lower River
     * Central River
     * North Bank
     * Upper River
     * Western
     * Banjul, the national capital, is classified as a "city".

   The divisions are further subdivided into thirty-seven districts. Of
   these, Kombo Saint Mary (which shares Brikama as a capital with the
   Western division) may have been administratively merged with the
   greater Banjul area.

Geography

   Children swimming near Lamin Lodge.
   Enlarge
   Children swimming near Lamin Lodge.
   The river.
   Enlarge
   The river.
   A market.
   Enlarge
   A market.
   Yundum International Airport.
   Enlarge
   Yundum International Airport.

   Satellite image of The Gambia, generated from raster graphics data
   supplied by The Map Library
   Enlarge
   Satellite image of The Gambia, generated from raster graphics data
   supplied by The Map Library

   The Gambia is a very small and narrow country whose borders mirror the
   meandering Gambia River. The country is less than 48 km wide, with a
   total area of 11,300 km². Its present boundaries were defined in 1889
   after an agreement between the United Kingdom and France. It is almost
   an enclave of Senegal and the smallest country on the continent of
   Africa.

Economy

   The Gambia has a liberal, market-based economy characterized by
   traditional subsistence agriculture, a historic reliance on groundnuts
   (peanuts) for export earnings, a re-export trade built up around its
   ocean port, low import duties, minimal administrative procedures, a
   fluctuating exchange rate with no exchange controls, and a significant
   tourism industry.

   Agriculture accounts for 29% of gross domestic product (GDP) and
   employs 75% of the labour force. Within agriculture, peanut production
   accounts for 6.9% of GDP, other crops 8.3%, livestock 5.3%, fishing
   1.8%, and forestry 0.5%. Industry accounts for 12% of GDP.
   Manufacturing, which accounts for 5.5% of GDP, is primarily
   agriculturally based (e.g., peanut processing, bakeries, a brewery, and
   a tannery). Other manufacturing activities include soap, soft drinks,
   and clothing. Services account for 19% of GDP.

   The UK and other EU countries constitute The Gambia's major domestic
   export markets, accounting for 86% in total; followed by Asia at 14%;
   and the African subregion, including Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and Ghana
   at 8%. The UK and the other EU countries (Germany, France, Netherlands,
   Belgium) were the major source of imports, at 60% of the total share of
   imports, followed by Asia at 23%, and Cote d'Ivoire and other African
   countries at 17%. The Gambia reports 11% of its exports going to and
   14.6% of its imports coming from the United States.

Demographics

   A wide variety of ethnic groups live in The Gambia with a minimum of
   intertribal friction, each preserving its own language and traditions.
   The Mandinka tribe is the largest, followed by the Fula, Wolof, Jola,
   and Serahule. The approximately 3,500 non-African residents include
   Europeans and families of Lebanese origin (roughly 0.23% of the total
   population).

   Muslims constitute more than 90% of the population. Christians of
   different denominations account for most of the remainder. Gambians
   officially observe the holidays of both religions and practice
   religious tolerance.

   More than 63% of Gambians live in rural villages (1993 census),
   although more and more young people come to the capital in search of
   work and education. Provisional figures from the 2003 census show that
   the gap between the urban and rural populations is narrowing as more
   areas are declared urban. While urban migration, development projects,
   and modernization are bringing more Gambians into contact with Western
   habits and values, the traditional emphasis on the extended family, as
   well as indigenous forms of dress and celebration, remain integral
   parts of everyday life.

Other facts

     * The Gambia was the first and last British colony in West Africa.
     * In his 1977 Pulitzer Prize-winning book Roots: The Saga of an
       American Family, Alex Haley traced his family back to Kunta Kinte,
       enslaved from the village of Juffure in the north bank of The
       Gambia.
     * En route to Casablanca for a conference and then to Liberia, U.S.
       President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first serving U.S.
       president to visit the African continent when he stopped in Banjul
       in 1943.
     * In the 1930s, The Gambia was a transit point for the German airline
       Lufthansa's transatlantic mail service. Three aircraft were lost
       during this period .
     * Yundum Airport was an emergency landing site for NASA space
       shuttles.

Culture

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gambia"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
