Location: West Africa

Size: 11,300km squared (7,022 square miles)

Time: GMT. No Daylight Saving Time.

Electricity: 220-240 Volts.

International telephone code: +220

Status: Federal Republic.

GDP US$324 million, US$352 per capita in 1990/1

Currency: Gambian Dalasi (100 Butus per Dalasi).

Population: 1,038,175. Annual growth rate of 4.2%.

Economy: Major earners are agriculture, trade and tourism.

Capital: Banjul (1993 population 42,326).

Language: Official language is English.  Local languages include Mandinka, Wolof, Jola, Fula and others.

Religion: Muslim, Christian and some traditional religions such as Animism.

Flag: Three horizontal stripes – red, blue and green.  From top to bottom.  Each colour separated by a narrow white stripe.

National anthem: For the Gambia our Homeland.

National motto: Progress, Peace and Prosperity.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Location and Size

The Federal Republic of the Gambia lies on the Western Coast of tropical Africa.  It is shaped like a long, crooked finger , extending inland, and is surrounded on its northern, eastern and southern borders by the French-speaking country of Senegal.  To the West of the Gambia lies the Atlantic Ocean, while the country itself lies on a latitude that is almost equal distance from the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer.  From North to South, the Gambia extends for a maximum of 48km, though the coastline is 80km in length.  The River Gambia runs inland for 480km.  The total land area is only 11,300km squared.

CLIMATE

The Gambia has a warm climate that is characterised by a long dry season, say from mid-October to early-June,and with a short rainy season from mid-June to early-October.  The hottest months are July and September.  Average daytime maximum temperatures stand at 30 degrees centigrade.

GAMBIAN CULTURE

The Gambia is a nation with different people from all over the world.  But the majority of the country’s historical inhabitants are made up of eight different tribes.  They are the Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, Jula, Serahule, Serer, Aku and Manjango.

Each ethnic group has its own traditions, language and background.  The small size of the country, generations of intermarriage, and the force of unity in Islam, have also contributed to the sharing of cultural heritage among the tribes and peoples of the Gambia.