Republic of The Gambia

Republic of The Gambia

Motto
Progress, Peace, Prosperity

Anthem
For The Gambia Our Homeland

Confederation:
Senegambia (1982-89)

Capital

Banjul

Government

Presidential republic

President

- From 1994

Yahya Jammeh

Legislature

National Assembly

History

- February 18, 1965

Independence

- April 24, 1970

Republic declared

Commonwealth accession

February 18, 1965

Area

10,380 km²

Population

- 2009

1,705,000

Density

164.2/km²

GDP

2009 (PPP)

- Total

US$ 3.4 billion

- Per capita

US$ 2,018

Currency

Dalasi

Gambia

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The Republic of The Gambia is a presidential republic in Western Africa.

Background

The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965. Geographically surrounded by Senegal, it formed a short-lived federation of Senegambia between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations signed a friendship and cooperation treaty, but tensions have flared up intermittently since then. Yahya JAMMEH led a military coup in 1994 that overthrew the president and banned political activity. A new constitution and presidential elections in 1996, followed by parliamentary balloting in 1997, completed a nominal return to civilian rule. JAMMEH has been elected president in all subsequent elections including most recently in late 2006.^[1]

Economy

The Gambia has sparse natural resource deposits and a limited agricultural base, and relies in part on remittances from workers overseas and tourist receipts. About three-quarters of the population depends on the agricultural sector for its livelihood. Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of peanuts, fish, and hides. The Gambia's natural beauty and proximity to Europe has made it one of the larger markets for tourism in West Africa, boosted by government and private sector investments in eco-tourism and upscale facilities. In the past few years, The Gambia's re-export trade - traditionally a major segment of economic activity - has declined, but its banking sector has grown rapidly. Unemployment and underemployment rates remain high; economic progress depends on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on responsible government economic management, and on continued technical assistance from multilateral and bilateral donors. The quality of fiscal management, however, is weak. The government has promised to raise civil service wages over the next two years and the deficit is projected to worsen.^[2]