]! ^! 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 A. J. J. 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. 
]" ^" Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal ^# 13 28 N, 16 34 W ^$ Africa ^% `! 11,300 sq km `" 10,000 sq km `# 1,300 sq km ^& slightly less than twice the size of Delaware ^' `! 740 km `Y Senegal 740 km ^( 80 km ^) `$ 12 nm `M 18 nm `l 200 nm `O extent not specified ^* tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May) ^+ flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& unnamed location 53 m ^- fish, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon, silica sand, clay, petroleum ^. `' 27.88% `( 0.44% `) 71.68% (2005) ^/ 20 sq km (2003) ^0 drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years) ^1 deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases prevalent _P `P Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the continent of Africa 
]# ^3 1,688,359 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 44.1% (male 373,831/female 370,397) `, 53.2% (male 445,365/female 452,311) `- 2.8% (male 23,582/female 22,873) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 17.8 years `. 17.6 years `/ 17.9 years (2007 est.) ^6 2.781% (2007 est.) ^7 38.86 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 11.99 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 0.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.03 male(s)/female `1 1.009 male(s)/female `, 0.985 male(s)/female `- 1.031 male(s)/female `2 0.997 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 70.14 deaths/1,000 live births `. 76.55 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 63.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 54.54 years `. 52.68 years `/ 56.46 years (2007 est.) ^= 5.21 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 1.2% (2003 est.) ^? 6,800 (2003 est.) ^@ 600 (2003 est.) _` `h very high `i bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis `s meningococcal meningitis (2007) ^A `3 Gambian(s) `4 Gambian ^B African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1% ^C Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1% ^D English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 40.1% `. 47.8% `/ 32.8% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of The Gambia `7 The Gambia ^H republic ^I `8 Banjul `9 12 28 N, 16 39 W `: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Central River, Lower River, North Bank, Upper River, Western ^K 18 February 1965 (from UK) ^L Independence Day, 18 February (1965) ^M approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; effective 16 January 1997 ^N based on a composite of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); note - from 1994 to 1996 he was chairman of the Junta; Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `< President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997) `= Cabinet appointed by the president `> president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 22 September 2006 (next to be held in 2011) `? Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH reelected president; percent of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 67.3%, Ousainou DARBOE 26.6%, Halifa SALLAH 6.0% ^Q unicameral National Assembly (53 seats; 48 elected by popular vote, 5 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) `> last held 25 January 2007 (next to be held in 2012) `? percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APRC 47, UDP 4, NADD 1, independent 1 ^R Supreme Court ^S Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or APRC (the ruling party) [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH]; Gambia People's Democratic Party or GPDP [Henry GOMEZ]; National Alliance for Democracy and Development or NADD [Halifa SALLAH]; National Convention Party or NCP [Sheriff DIBBA]; National Reconciliation Party or NRP [Hamat N. K. BAH]; People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS [Sidia JATTA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Ousainou DARBOE] ^T NA ^U ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Dodou Bammy JAGNE `S Suite 905, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 `T [1] (202) 785-1379 `U [1] (202) 785-1430 ^W `R Ambassador Joseph D. STAFFORD, III `_ Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul `` P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul `T [220] 439-2856, 437-6169, 437-6170 `U [220] 439-2475 ^X three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green 
]% ^Y The Gambia has no confirmed mineral or natural resource deposits and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the population depends on crops and livestock for its livelihood. Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of peanuts, fish, and hides. Reexport trade normally constitutes a major segment of economic activity, but a 1999 government-imposed preshipment inspection plan, and instability of the Gambian dalasi (currency) have drawn some of the reexport trade away from The Gambia. The Gambia's natural beauty and proximity to Europe has made it one of the larger markets for tourism in West Africa. The government's 1998 seizure of the private peanut firm Alimenta eliminated the largest purchaser of Gambian groundnuts. Despite an announced program to begin privatizing key parastatals, no plans have been made public that would indicate that the government intends to follow through on its promises. Unemployment and underemployment rates remain extremely high; short-run economic progress depends on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on responsible government economic management, on continued technical assistance from the IMF and bilateral donors, and on expected growth in the construction sector. ^Z $3.25 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $461.2 million (2006 est.) ^\ 5% (2006 est.) ^] $2,000 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 30.5% `A 13.9% `B 55.6% (2006 est.) ^_ 400,000 (1996) ^` `@ 75% `A 19% `B 6% ^a NA% _! NA% _" `C NA% `D NA% _# 14% (2006 est.) _V 20.3% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $112.7 million `F $155.1 million; including capital expenditures of $4.1 million (2006 est.) _& rice, millet, sorghum, peanuts, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats _' processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism, beverages, agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking, clothing _( NA% _) 145 million kWh (2004) _* 134.9 million kWh (2004) _+ 0 kWh (2004) _, 0 kWh (2004) _- 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) _. 2,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _1 0 cu m (2004 est.) _2 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Q $-54.61 million (2006 est.) _3 $130.5 million f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels, re-exports _5 India 41.1%, UK 18.5%, Indonesia 8.4%, Senegal 4.7%, Belgium 4.3% (2005) _6 $212.2 million f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment _8 China 21.5%, Senegal 11.4%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.5%, Brazil 5.6%, US 5.3%, UK 5.2%, Netherlands 4.1% (2005) _[ $88.11 million (2006 est.) _9 $628.8 million (2003 est.) _: $59.8 million (2003) _; dalasi (GMD) _< dalasi per US dollar - 28.3 (2006), 30.38 (2005), 30.03 (2004), 27.306 (2004), 19.918 (2003), 15.687 (2002), 15.687 (2001) _= calendar year 
]& _> 44,000 (2005) _? 247,500 (2005) _@ `G adequate; a packet switched data network is available `H adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire `I country code - 220; microwave radio relay links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) _A AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001) _B 1 (government-owned) (1997) _C .gm _D 14 (2006) _E 49,000 (2005) 
]' _F 1 (2006) _G `! 1 `a 1 (2006) _H `! 3,742 km `K 723 km `L 3,019 km (2004) _b 390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can reach 190 km) (2004) _S `! 5 ships (1000 GRT or over) 32,064 GRT/9,751 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1 (2006) _I Banjul 
]( _J Gambian National Army (GNA), Gambian Navy (GN), Gambian National Guard (includes Presidential Guard) (2007) _T 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) _K males age 18-49: 311,025 females age 18-49: 316,214 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 183,057 females age 18-49: 194,551 (2005 est.) _U 0.6% (2006 est.) 
]) _N attempts to stem refugees, cross-border raids, arms smuggling, and other illegal activities by separatists from southern Senegal's Casamance region, as well as from conflicts in other west African states _c `o 5,955 (Sierra Leone) (2006) 