Site Map
Accessgambia - Websites
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 The Gambia
(West Africa, map) is a small
country with an area of 4,000 square miles or 10,000 sq. km). It is
surrounded on all its borders by Senegal except on the Atlantic
Ocean coast. |
 Agriculture
Farming is still the country's most important export foreign
currency earner accounting for about 90% of export earnings. |
 Arts
& Crafts
The arts are made up of either genuine and
authentic works or those mass produced and aimed towards the tourist
market. |
 Climate
The coastal dry season runs from around the middle
of October to the middle of June each year. This time of the year is
characterised by a relatively cool, dry wind called the
Harmattan. |
 Culture
The Gambia is a multi-ethnic society with people from West Africa with different
cultural,
religious and linguistic backgrounds living side by side. People's lives
are marked by a series of rites of passage or traditional rituals. |
 Defence
The army is made up of infantry battalions in the GNG, GNA & the
navy which are under the Department of Defence. Defence
expenditure is 0.5% (2006) of GDP. |
 Economy
The economy is largely dependent on the export of peanuts & its
related products. Other exports include fish, raw cotton & palm
kernels. Annual per capita income is about US$330. |
 Education
Children's lessons are performed in English. Educating children is a
relatively costly experience for most parents. Girls receive some
assistance from the government towards their school fees. |
 Ethnic
Groups
There are at least 8 ethnic groups living in Gambia and
each having its own & sometimes overlapping customs, traditions
and language. |
 Geography
The country is located at the most western edge of West Africa. It is
the African continents smallest country and has a total area of 11,300
square km. |
 Government
The Gambia is a multi-party democratic republic which gained its
independence in 1965. An Executive Presidency was established on
the 24 April, 1970 which was later overturned following the July
22nd coup of 1994.
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 Health
The healthcare system is based around 3 levels namely: primary,
secondary & tertiary. There are currently 4 referral hospitals which
are government run and well as additional centres including the MRC in
Fajara. |
 History
Ancient pottery artifacts have been found which have been dated to
around 5,500. Agricultural villages & towns with a knowledge of iron
have been unearthed & dated to around AD 500. |
 Languages
There are over 10 languages spoken by people in Gambia & the majority
of the languages belong to the Niger-Congo linguistic family of the
Atlantic or Congo branches. |
 Travel
& Tourism
It takes just a 6 hour flight to reach the country
from most European airports and it offers a less expensive alternative
holiday destination than the Caribbean. There are 48 km of beach
reaching south from Banjul to Kartong in the south.
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