Global InformationThe Gambia information
Republic of The Gambia | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
| Motto: "Progress, Peace, and Prosperity" | |
| Anthem: "For The Gambia Our Homeland" | |
 Location of The Gambia (dark green) in western Africa | |
| Capital | Banjul 13°28′N 16°36′W / 13.467°N 16.600°W |
| Largest metropolitan area | Serekunda |
| Official languages | English |
| National languages | List:
|
| Ethnic groups (2013 Census) |
|
| Religion (2023)[2] |
|
| Demonym(s) | Gambian |
| Government | Unitary presidential republic |
• President | Adama Barrow |
• Vice President | Muhammad B.S. Jallow |
• Speaker of the National Assembly | Fabakary Jatta |
• Chief Justice | Hassan Bubacar Jallow |
| Legislature | National Assembly |
| Independence from the United Kingdom | |
• from the United Kingdom | 18 February 1965 |
• dissolution of the Senegambia Confederation | 30 September 1989 |
| Area | |
• Total | 11,300[3] km2 (4,400 sq mi) (159th) |
• Water (%) | 11.5 |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 2,468,569[4] (144th) |
• Density | 176.1/km2 (456.1/sq mi) (74th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $7.502 billion[5] (166th) |
• Per capita | $2,837[5] (175th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $2.388 billion[5] (185th) |
• Per capita | $903[5] (180th) |
| Gini (2015) |  35.9[6]medium |
| HDI (2021) |  0.500[7]low (174th) |
| Currency | Gambian dalasi (GMD) |
| Time zone | UTC (GMT) |
| Daylight saving time is not observed | |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +220 |
| ISO 3166 code | GM |
| Internet TLD | .gm |
The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa.[a][8] Geographically, The Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa;[b] it is surrounded by Senegal, except for its western coast on the Atlantic Ocean.[9] It is situated on both sides of the lower reaches of the Gambia River, which flows through the centre of the country and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The national namesake river demarcates the elongated shape of the country, which has an area of 11,300 square kilometres (4,400 sq mi) and a population of 2,468,569 people in 2024.[4] The capital city is Banjul, which has the most extensive metropolitan area in the country;[10] the second- and third-largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.[11]
Arab Muslim merchants traded with native West Africans in The Gambia throughout the 9th and 10th centuries. In 1455, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to enter The Gambia, although they never established significant trade there.[12] The region was made a part of the British Empire by establishment of a colony in 1765,[13] and exactly 200 years later, in 1965, The Gambia gained independence under the leadership of Dawda Jawara. Jawara ruled until Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless 1994 coup, with Jammeh ruling until 2017. Adama Barrow became The Gambia's third president in January 2017, after defeating Jammeh in the December 2016 elections.[14] Jammeh initially accepted the results, but then refused to leave office, triggering a constitutional crisis and military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States that resulted in his removal two days after his term was initially scheduled to end.[15][16][17]
The Gambia has been a member of the Economic Community of West African States since its conception in 1975 and is a member of the Commonwealth,[18] with English being the country's sole official language, both legacies of its British colonial past. The Gambia's economy is dominated by farming, fishing, and especially tourism. In 2015, 48.6% of the population lived in poverty.[19] In rural areas, poverty was even more widespread, at almost 70%.[19]
- ^ National Population Commission Secretariat (30 April 2005). "2013 Population and Housing Census: Spatial Distribution" (PDF). Gambia Bureau of Statistics. The Republic of The Gambia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ "The World Factbook: Gambia, The". CIA. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "Gambia, The". Central Intelligence Agency. 28 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Gambia, The". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Gambia)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "GINI index (World Bank estimate) – Data". World Bank. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ Human Development Report 2021–22: Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 8 September 2022. pp. 272–276. ISBN 978-9-211-26451-7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ "Member States". United Nations.
- ^ Hoare, Ben. (2002) The Kingfisher A–Z Encyclopedia, Kingfisher Publications. p. 11. ISBN 0-7534-5569-2.
- ^ "Banjul | national capital, The Gambia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ "Population of Cities in Gambia 2023". World Population Review.
- ^ Hughes, Arnold; Perfect, David (2008). Historical Dictionary of The Gambia. United States: Scarecrow Press. pp. xxxii f. ISBN 9780810862609.
- ^ Hughes, Arnold (2008) Historical Dictionary of the Gambia. Scarecrow Press. p. xx. ISBN 0810862603.
- ^ Wiseman, John A. (2004). "The Gambia: Recent History". Africa South of the Sahara 2004 (33rd ed.). Europa. p. 456. ISBN 9781857431834.
- ^ Maclean, Ruth (21 January 2017). "Yahya Jammeh leaves the Gambia after 22 years of rule". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 16 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ "Gambia's Yayah Jammeh confirms he will step down". Al Jazeera. 20 January 2017. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ Ramsay, Stuart (22 January 2017). "Former Gambia leader Yahya Jammeh flies into political exile". Sky News. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "The Gambia rejoins the Commonwealth".
- ^ a b "The Gambia overview". World Bank. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).