GAMBIA
1948
KGVI
SILVER WEDDING
BLOCK STAMPS with PLATE #1
CORNER BLOCK OF 6
MINT NEVER HINGED (MNH)
DENOMINATION: 1 1/2d
Era: GEORGE VI (1936 - 1952)
SCOTT # 146
STANLEY GIBBONS # 164
The Gambia,[a] officially the Republic of theGambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country withinmainland Africa[6] and is surrounded by Senegal, except for its western coast on the AtlanticOcean. The Gambia is situated on both sides of the lower reaches of the Gambia River, the nation's namesake, which flowsthrough the centre of the Gambia and empties into the Atlantic Ocean, thus thelong shape of the country. It has an area of 10,689 square kilometres(4,127 sq mi) with a population of 1,857,181 as of the April 2013census. Banjul is the Gambian capital and the country'slargest metropolitan area.[7] The largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.[8]
The Portuguese in 1455 entered the Gambianregion, the first Europeans to do so, but never established important tradethere.[9] In 1765, the Gambia was made a part ofthe British Empire byestablishment of the Gambia.[10] In 1965, the Gambia gainedindependence under the leadership of Dawda Jawara, who ruled until Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless 1994 coup. Adama Barrow became the Gambia's third presidentin January 2017, after defeating Jammeh in the December2016 elections.[11] Jammeh initially accepted theresults, before refusing to leave office, triggering a constitutionalcrisis and militaryintervention by the EconomicCommunity of West African States that resulted in his removaltwo days after his term was initially scheduled to end.[12][13][14]
The Gambia's economy is dominated by farming,fishing, and especially, tourism. In 2015, 48.6% of the population lived inpoverty.[15] In rural areas, poverty was even morewidespread, at almost 70%.[15]
The name "Gambia" is derived fromthe Mandinka term Kambra/Kambaa,meaning Gambia River (orpossibly from the sacred Serer Gamba,[16] a special type of calabash beaten when a Serer elder dies).[17] Upon independence in 1965, thecountry used the name the Gambia. Following the proclamation of arepublic in 1970, the long-form name of the country became Republic ofthe Gambia.[18] The administration of Yahya Jammehchanged the long-form name to Islamic Republic of the Gambia inDecember 2015.[19] On 29 January 2017 President AdamaBarrow changed the name back to Republic of the Gambia.[20][21]
The Gambia is one of a very small number ofcountries for which the definite article is commonly used in itsEnglish-language name, other than cases in which the name is plural (theNetherlands, the Philippines) or includes the form of government (the UnitedKingdom, the Czech Republic). The article is also officially used by thecountry's government and by international bodies. The article was originallyused because the region was named after "the Gambia [River]." In1964, shortly prior to the country's independence, then-Prime Minister Dawda Jawara wrote to the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British OfficialUse requesting that the name the Gambia retainthe definite article, in part to reduce confusion with Zambia which had also recently becomeindependent.[22] At present,[when?] both Gambia and theGambia are in common use.
Mainarticle: History of the Gambia
Arab traders provided the firstwritten accounts of the Gambia area in the ninth and tenth centuries. Duringthe tenth century, Muslim merchants and scholars established communities inseveral West African commercial centres. Both groups established trans-Saharantrade routes, leading to a large export trade of local people as slaves, along with gold and ivory,as well as imports of manufactured goods.
By the 11th or 12th century, the rulers ofkingdoms such as Takrur (a monarchy centred onthe Senegal River justto the north), ancient Ghana and Gao hadconverted to Islam and had appointed to their courts Muslims who were literatein the Arabic language.[23] At the beginning of the 14th century,most of what is today called the Gambia was part of the Mali Empire. The Portuguese reached this area by seain the mid-15th century and began to dominate overseas trade.
In 1588, the claimant to the Portuguese throne, António, Prior of Crato,sold exclusive trade rights on the Gambia River to English merchants. Letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I confirmed the grant. In 1618,King James I of England granteda charter to an English company for trade with the Gambia and the Gold Coast (now Ghana).Between 1651 and 1661, some parts of the Gambia — St. Andrew's Island in theGambia River including Fort Jakob, and St. Mary Island (modern day Banjul) andFort Jillifree — came under the rule of the Duchy ofCourland and Semigallia (now in modern-day Latvia), having been bought by Prince Jacob Kettler.[24] The colonies were formally ceded toEngland in 1664.
During the late 17th century and throughoutthe 18th century, the British Empire and the French Empire struggledcontinually for political and commercial supremacy in the regions of theSenegal River and the Gambia River. The British Empire occupied the Gambia whenan expedition led by AugustusKeppel landed there following the Capture of Senegal in1758. The 1783 First Treaty of Versailles gaveGreat Britain possession of the Gambia River, but the French retained a tinyenclave at Albreda on the river's north bank. This wasfinally ceded to the United Kingdom in 1856.
As many as three million people may havebeen taken as slaves fromthis general region during the three centuries that the transatlantic slave trade operated.It is not known how many people were taken as slaves by intertribal wars beforethe transatlantic slave trade began. Most of those taken were sold by otherAfricans to Europeans: some were prisoners of intertribal wars; some werevictims sold because of unpaid debts, and many others were simply victims ofkidnapping.[25]
Traders initially sent people to Europe towork as servants until the market for labour expanded in the West Indies and North America in the 18thcentury. In 1807, the United Kingdom abolished the slave trade throughout its empire. It alsotried, unsuccessfully, to end the slave trade in the Gambia. Slave shipsintercepted by the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron inthe Atlantic were also returned to the Gambia, with people who had been slavesreleased on MacCarthy Island farup the Gambia River where they were expected to establish new lives.[26] The British established the militarypost of Bathurst (now Banjul) in 1816.
In the ensuing years, Banjul was at timesunder the jurisdiction of the British Governor-General in Sierra Leone. In 1888, the Gambia became a separatecolony.[27]
An agreement with the French Republic in 1889 established the presentboundaries. The Gambia became a British Crown colony called BritishGambia, divided for administrative purposes into the colony (city ofBanjul and the surrounding area) and the protectorate (remainder of theterritory). The Gambia received its own executive and legislative councils in1901, and it gradually progressed toward self-government. Slavery was abolishedin 1906[28] and following a brief conflictbetween the British colonial forces and indigenous Gambians, British colonialauthority was firmly established.[29] In 1919, an inter-racial relationshipbetween Travelling Commissioner J K McCallum and Wolof woman Fatou Khan scandalized the administration.[30]
During World War II, some soldiers foughtwith the Allies of World War II.Though these soldiers fought mostly in Burma, some died closer to home and a CommonwealthWar Graves Commission cemetery is in Fajara (close to Banjul).Banjul contained an airstrip forthe US Army Air Forces anda port of call for Allied naval convoys.[31]
After World War II, the pace ofconstitutional reform increased. Following general elections in 1962, the UnitedKingdom granted full internal self-governance in the following year.[31]
The Gambia achieved independence on18 February 1965, as a constitutional monarchy withinthe Commonwealth,with ElizabethII as Queen of the Gambia,represented by the Governor-General.Shortly thereafter, the national government held a referendum proposingthat the country become a republic. Thisreferendum failed to receive the two-thirds majority required to amend theconstitution, but the results won widespread attention abroad as testimony tothe Gambia's observance of secret balloting, honest elections, civil rights,and liberties.[31]
On 24 April 1970, the Gambia became arepublic within the Commonwealth, following a second referendum.Prime Minister Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara assumedthe office of president,an executive post,combining the offices of head of state and head of government.[citationneeded] President Sir Dawda Jawara wasre-elected five times.[32]
An attempted coup on 29 July 1981 followeda weakening of the economy and allegations of corruption against leadingpoliticians.[32] The coup attempt occurred whilePresident Jawara was visiting London and was carried out by the leftist NationalRevolutionary Council, composed of Kukoi Samba Sanyang'sSocialist and Revolutionary Labour Party (SRLP) and elements of the FieldForce, a paramilitary force which constituted the bulk of the country's armedforces.[32]
President Jawara requested military aidfrom Senegal, which deployed 400 troops to the Gambia on31 July. By 6 August, some 2,700 Senegalese troops had been deployed, defeatingthe rebel force.[32] Between 500 and 800 people werekilled during the coup and the ensuing violence.[32] In 1982, in the aftermath of the 1981attempted coup, Senegal and the Gambia signed a treaty of confederation.The Senegambia Confederation aimedto combine the armed forces of the two states and to unify their economies andcurrencies. After just seven years, the Gambia permanently withdrew from theconfederation in 1989.
In 1994, the ArmedForces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) deposed the Jawaragovernment and banned opposition political activity.Lieutenant Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh,chairman of the AFPRC, became head of state. Jammeh was just 29 years old atthe time of the coup. The AFPRC announced a transition plan to return to ademocratic civilian government. The Provisional Independent ElectoralCommission (PIEC) was established in 1996 to conduct national elections andtransformed into the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in 1997 and becameresponsible for the registration of voters and for the conduct of elections andreferendums.
In late 2001 and early 2002, the Gambiacompleted a full cycle of presidential, legislative,and local elections, which foreign observers deemed free, fair, and transparent.[33] President Yahya Jammeh, who waselected to continue in the position he had assumed during the coup, took theoath of office again on 21 December 2001. Jammeh's Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC)maintained its strong majority in the National Assembly, particularly after themain opposition UnitedDemocratic Party (UDP) boycotted the legislative elections.[34] (It has participated in electionssince, however).
On 2 October 2013, the Gambian interiorminister announced that the Gambia would leave the Commonwealth withimmediate effect, ending 48 years of membership of the organisation. TheGambian government said it had "decided that the Gambia will never be amember of any neo-colonial institution and will never be a party to anyinstitution that represents an extension of colonialism".[35]
On 11 December 2015, during a politicalrally, President Jammeh declared the Gambia as an Islamic republic. His announcement justified that theGambia was breaking its colonial past and he proclaimed Islam tobe majority of its citizens.[citationneeded]
Incumbent President Jammeh faced oppositionleaders Adama Barrow from the Independent Coalition of parties[36] and Mamma Kandeh from the GambiaDemocratic Congress party[37] in the December 2016 presidentialelections. The Gambia sentenced main opposition leader and human rightsadvocate Ousainou Darboe to3 years in prison in July 2016,[38] disqualifying him from running in thepresidential election.
Following the 1December 2016 elections, the elections commission declared Adama Barrow the winner of the presidentialelection.[39] Jammeh, who had ruled for 22 years,first announced he would step down after losing the 2016 election beforedeclaring the results void and calling for a new vote, sparking a constitutionalcrisis and leading to an invasion byan ECOWAS coalition.[40] On 20 January 2017, Jammeh announcedthat he had agreed to step down and would leave the country.[13]
On 14 February 2017, the Gambia began theprocess of returning to its membership of the Commonwealth and formally presentedits application to re-join to Secretary-General Patricia Scotland on 22 January 2018.[41][42] Boris Johnson, who became the first British Foreign Secretary to visit the Gambia since thecountry gained independence in 1965,[43] announced that the British governmentwelcomed the Gambia's return to the Commonwealth.[43] The Gambia officially rejoined theCommonwealth on 8 February 2018.[44][45]
On 28 February 2018, Jaha Dukureh, a women's rights activist was nominatedfor the Nobel Peace Prize forher work in combating female genital mutilation.[46]
On 4 December 2021, Adama Barrow wonre-election in the presidentialelection.[47]
The Gambia is a very small and narrowcountry whose borders mirrorthe meandering Gambia River. Itlies between latitudes 13 and 14°N, andlongitudes 13 and 17°W.
The Gambia is less than 50 kilometres (31miles) wide at its widest point, with a total area of 11,295 km2 (4,361 sq mi). About 1,300 square kilometres (500square miles) (11.5%) of the Gambia's area are covered by water. It is thesmallest country on the African mainland. In comparative terms, the Gambia hasa total area slightly less than that of the island of Jamaica.
Senegal surrounds the Gambia on threesides, with 80 km (50 mi) of coastline on the Atlantic Ocean markingits western extremity.[48]
The present boundaries were defined in 1889after an agreement between the United Kingdom and France. During thenegotiations between the French and the British in Paris, the French initiallygave the British around 320 kilometres (200 mi) of the Gambia River tocontrol. Starting with the placement of boundary markers in 1891, it tooknearly 15 years after the Paris meetings to determine the final borders of theGambia. The resulting series of straight lines and arcs gave the Britishcontrol of areas about 16 kilometres (10 mi) north and south of the GambiaRiver.[49]
The Gambia contains three terrestrialecoregions: Guineanforest-savanna mosaic, West Sudanian savanna,and Guinean mangroves.[50] It had a 2018 ForestLandscape Integrity Index mean score of 4.56/10, ranking it120th globally out of 172 countries.[51]
The Gambia has a tropical climate. A hot and rainy season normallylasts from June until November, but from then until May, cooler temperaturespredominate, with less precipitation.[48] The climate in the Gambia closely resembles that ofneighbouring Senegal, of southern Mali,and of the northern part of Benin.
Government and politics[edit]
The Gambia gained independence fromthe United Kingdom on 18 February 1965. From 1965 to 1994, the country wasostensibly a multi-party liberal democracy. It was ruled by Dawda Jawara and his People'sProgressive Party (PPP). However, the country never experiencedpolitical turnover during this period and its commitment to succession by theballot box was never tested.[56] In 1994, a military coup propelleda commission of military officers to power, known as the ArmedForces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC). After two years ofdirect rule, a new constitution was written and in 1996, the leader of theAFPRC, Yahya Jammeh,was elected as president. He ruled in an authoritarian style until the 2016election, which was won by Adama Barrow, backed by a coalition of oppositionparties.
During the Jawara era, there were initiallyfour political parties, the PPP, the United Party (UP),the Democratic Party (DP),and the Muslim Congress Party (MCP).The 1960 constitution had established a House ofRepresentatives, and in the 1960election no party won a majority of seats. However, in 1961 theBritish Governor chose UP leader Pierre Sarr N'Jie toserve as the country's first head of government, in the form of a ChiefMinister. This was an unpopular decision, and the 1962election was notable as parties were able to appeal to ethnicand religious differences across the Gambia. The PPP won a majority, and formeda coalition with the Democratic CongressAlliance (DCA; a merger of the DP and MCP). They invited the UPto the coalition in 1963, but it left in 1965.[57]
The UP was seen as the main oppositionparty, but it lost power from 1965 to 1970. In 1975, the NationalConvention Party (NCP) was formed by Sheriff Mustapha Dibba,and became the new main opposition party to the PPP's dominance.[57] Both the PPP and NCP wereideologically similar, so in the 1980s a new opposition party emerged, in theform of the radical socialist People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS).However, between the 1966 and 1992 elections, the PPP was "overwhelminglydominant", winning between 55% and 70% of the vote in each election and alarge majority of seats continually.[58]
In principle, competitive politics existedduring the Jawara era, however, it was stated that there was in reality a"one-party monopoly of state power centred around the dominant personalityof Dawda Jawara." Civil society was limited post-independence, andopposition parties were weak and at the risk of being declared subversive. Theopposition did not have equal access to resources, as the business classrefused to finance them. The government had control over when they could makepublic announcements and press briefings, and there were also allegationsof vote-buying andimproprieties in the preparation of the electoral register. A 1991 court challenge by thePDOIS against irregularities on the electoral register in Banjul was dismissedon a technicality.[59]
In July 1994, a bloodless military coupd'état brought an end to the Jawara era. The ArmedForces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC), led by Yahya Jammeh, ruled dictatorially for two years. Thecouncil suspended the constitution, banned all political parties, and imposed adusk-to-dawn curfew on the populace.[60] A transition back to democracyoccurred in 1996, and a new constitution was written, though the process wasmanipulated to benefit Jammeh.[61] In a 1996 referendum, 70% of votersapproved the constitution, and in December 1996 Jammeh was elected aspresident. All but PDOIS of the pre-coup parties were banned, and formerministers were barred from public office.[62]
During Jammeh's rule, the opposition wasagain fragmented. An example was the infighting between members of the NationalAlliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) that was formedin 2005. Jammeh used the police forces to harass opposition members andparties. Jammeh was also accused of human rights abuses, especially towardshuman rights activists, civil society organisations, political opponents, andthe media. Their fates included being sent into exile, harassment, arbitraryimprisonment, murder, and forced disappearance.Particular examples include the murder of journalist Deyda Hydara in 2004, a studentmassacre at a protest in 2000, public threats to kill humanrights defenders in 2009, and public threats towards homosexuals in 2013.Furthermore, Jammeh made threats to the religious freedom of non-Muslims, used'mercenary judges' to weaken the judiciary, and faced numerous accusations ofelection rigging.[63]
In the December2016 presidential election, Jammeh was beaten by Adama Barrow, who was backed by a coalition of opposition parties. Jammeh's initialagreement to step down followed by a change of mind induced a constitutionalcrisis that culminated in a militaryintervention by ECOWAS forces in January 2017. Barrow pledgedto serve at the head of a three-year transitional government.[64] The Nigerian Centrefor Democracy and Development describe the challenges facingBarrow as needing to restore "citizen's trust and confidence in the publicsector". They describe a "fragile peace" with tensions in ruralareas between farmers and the larger communities. They also reported ontensions between ethnic groups developing. An example is that in February 2017,51 supporters of Jammeh were arrested for harassing supporters of Barrow.Although his election was initially met with enthusiasm, the Centre notes thatthis has been dampened by Barrow's initial constitutional faux pas with hisvice president, the challenge of inclusion, and high expectations post-Jammeh.[63]
On 5 December 2021, Incumbent presidentAdama Barrow was declared the winner of The Gambia's presidentialelection by the electoral commission. The 4 December 2021election, the first since former dictator Yahya Jammeh fled into exile, wasseen as crucial for the young democracy.[65]
The Gambia has had a number ofconstitutions in its history. The two most significant are the 1970constitution, which established the Gambia as a presidential republic, and the1996 constitution, which served as a basis for Jammeh's rule and was kept followingBarrow's victory in 2016. Jammeh manipulated the 1996 constitutional reformprocess to benefit himself. No reference was made to term limits, indicatingJammeh's preference to stay in power for an extended period of time.[61] According to the 1996 constitution,the President is the head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chiefof the armed forces. Jammeh and Barrow have also both taken on the role ofMinister of Defence.[66]
The president appoints the vice presidentand cabinet of ministers and also chairs the cabinet. The office of PrimeMinister was abolished in 1970. Total executive power is vested in thepresident. He can also appoint five members of the National Assembly, thejudges of the superior courts, regional governors, and district chiefs. Interms of the civil service, he can appoint the Public Service Commission, theombudsman, and the Independent Electoral Commission. The president is directlyelected for five-year terms based on a simple majority of votes. There are noterm limits.[66] The Constitution is under review asof 2018 and a two-term limit and other changes required to enhance thegovernance structures are expected.
The Gambia followed a formal policy ofnon-alignment throughout most of former President Jawara's tenure. Itmaintained close relations with the United Kingdom and with Senegal and otherAfrican countries. The July 1994 coup strained the Gambia's relationship withWestern powers, particularly the United States, which until 2002 suspended mostnon-humanitarian assistance in accordance with Section 508 of the Foreign Assistance Act.After 1995 President Jammeh established diplomatic relations with severaladditional countries, including Libya (suspendedin 2010), and Cuba.[67] The People'sRepublic of China cut ties with the Gambia in 1995 – after thelatter established diplomatic links with Taiwan – and re-established them in 2016.[68]
As a member of the EconomicCommunity of West African States (ECOWAS), the Gambia hasplayed an active role in that organisation's efforts to resolve the civil warsin Liberia and Sierra Leone and contributed troopsto the community's ceasefire monitoring group (ECOMOG) in 1990 and(ECOMIL) in 2003.[67] In November 2019, the Gambiafiled a case against Myanmar inThe Hague, accusing its military of genocide against Myanmar'sethnic Rohingya community.[69]
Under Yahya Jammeh The Gambia was alsobacking up rebels of MFDC in Casamance in southern Senegal.[70] The subsequent worsening of the humanrights situation placed increasing strains on US–Gambian relations.[67]
The Gambia withdrew from the Commonwealth of Nations on3 October 2013, with the government stating it had "decided that theGambia will never be a member of any neo-colonial institution and will never bea party to any institution that represents an extension of colonialism".[71] Under the new president, the Gambiabegan the process of returning to its status as a republicin the Commonwealth of Nations with the support of the Britishgovernment, formally presenting its application to re-join the Commonwealth ofNations to Secretary-General Patricia Scotland on 22 January 2018.[41][42]
The Gambia returned to its status asa republicin the Commonwealth of Nations on 8 February 2018.
Seealso: Human rights inthe Gambia
According to the World Health Organization,an estimated 78.3% of Gambian girls and women have suffered female genital mutilation.[72] LGBT activity isillegal, and punishable with life imprisonment.[73]
The Daily Observer reporter Ebrima Manneh is believed by human rightsorganizations to have been arrested in July 2006 and secretly held in custodysince then.[74] Manneh was reportedly arrested byGambia's NationalIntelligence Agency after attempting to republish a BBC report criticizing President Yahya Jammeh.[74] Amnesty International considershim to be a prisoner of conscience andnamed him a 2011 "priority case".[75] In 2019 the Gambian newspaper TheTrumpet reported that Manneh had died in captivity at some point inmid-2008.[76][77]
· EconomicCommunity of West African States (ECOWAS)
· Organizationof Islamic Cooperation[78]
The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF)was created in 1985 as a stipulation of the Senegambia Confederation,a political union between the Gambia and Senegal. It originally consisted of the GambiaNational Army (GNA), trained by the British, and Gambia National Gendarmerie (GNG), trained bythe Senegalese. The GNG was merged into the police in 1992, and in 1997 Jammehcreated a Gambia Navy (GN). Attempts to create a GambiaAir Force in the mid 2000s ultimately fell through. In 2008,Jammeh created a National Republican Guard, composed of special forces units.The GNA has a strength of roughly 900, in two infantry battalions and anengineering company. It makes use of Ferret and M8 Greyhound armoured cars. The GN is equippedwith patrol vessels, and Taiwan donated a number of newvessels to the force in 2013.
Since the GAF was formed in 1985, it hasbeen active in UN and African Union peacekeepingmissions. It has been classed as a Tier 2 peacekeeping contributor[80] and was described by the Center onInternational Cooperation as a regional leader in peacekeeping.[81] It dispatched soldiers to Liberia as part of ECOMOG from 1990 to 1991, during which twoGambian soldiers were killed. It has since contributed troops to ECOMIL, UNMIL,and UNAMID.Responsibility for the military has rested directly with the President sinceJammeh seized power at the head of a bloodless military coup in1994. Jammeh also created the role of Chief of the Defence Staff, who is the seniormilitary officer responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Gambia ArmedForces. Between 1958 and 1985, the Gambia did not have a military, butthe GambiaField Force existed as a paramilitary wing of the police. Themilitary tradition of the Gambia can be traced to the Gambia Regiment of the British Army, that existed from 1901 to 1958 andfought in World War I and World War II. In 2017, Gambia signed the UN treaty onthe Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.[82]
The Gambia Armed Forces is and has been therecipient of a number of equipment and training agreements with othercountries. In 1992, a contingent of Nigerian soldiers helped lead the GNA.Between 1991 and 2005, the Turkish armed forces helped train Gambian soldiers.It has also hosted British and United States training teams from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and US AFRICOM.
The Gambia is divided into eight local government areas,including the national capital, Banjul, which is classified as a city. Thedivisions of the Gambia were created by the Independent Electoral Commission inaccordance to Article 192 of the National Constitution.The local government areas are further subdivided (2013) into 43 districts. Ofthese, Kanifing and Kombo Saint Mary (which shares Brikama as a capital with the Brikama LocalGovernment Area) are effectively part of the Greater Banjul area.[83]
The Gambia has a liberal, market-based economy characterised bytraditional subsistence agriculture, a historic reliance on groundnuts (peanuts) for export earnings, a re-export trade builtup around its ocean port, low import duties, minimal administrative procedures,a fluctuating exchange rate with no exchange controls, and a significant tourism industry.[67]
The World Bank pegged Gambian GDP for 2018 atUS$1,624M; the International Monetary Fund put it at US$977M for 2011.[citationneeded]
From 2006 to 2012, the Gambian economy grewannually at a rate of 5–6% of GDP.[84]
Agriculture accounts for roughly 30% of thegross domestic product (GDP) and employs about 70% of the labour force. Withinagriculture, peanut production accounts for 6.9% of GDP, other crops 8.3%,livestock 5.3%, fishing 1.8%, and forestry 0.5%. Industry accounts for about 8%of GDP and services around 58%. The limited amount of manufacturing isprimarily agricultural-based (e.g., peanut processing, bakeries, a brewery, anda tannery). Other manufacturing activities involve soap, soft drinks, and clothing.[67]
Previously[when?],the United Kingdom and the EU constituted the major Gambian export markets.However, in recent years Senegal, the United States, and Japan have becomesignificant trade partners of the Gambia. In Africa, Senegal represented thebiggest trade partner of the Gambia in 2007, which is a defining contrast toprevious years that had Guinea-Bissau and Ghana as equally important tradepartners. Globally, Denmark, the United States, and China have become importantsource countries for Gambian imports. The UK, Germany, Ivory Coast, and the Netherlands also provide a fairshare of Gambian imports. The Gambian trade deficit for 2007 was$331 million.[67]
In May 2009 twelve commercial banks existedin the Gambia, including one Islamic bank. The oldest of these, Standard Chartered Bank,dates its presence back to the entry in 1894 of what shortly thereafter becamethe Bank of British West Africa.In 2005 the Switzerland-based banking group InternationalCommercial Bank established a subsidiary and now has fourbranches in the country. In 2007 Nigeria's Access Bank established a subsidiary that nowhas four branches in the country, in addition to its head office; the bank haspledged to open four more. 2008 saw the incorporation of Zenith Bank (Gambia)Limited, a subsidiary of Nigeria's behemoth Zenith Bank Plc, in the country. In May 2009 theLebanese Canadian Bank opened a subsidiary called Prime Bank.[85]
Since 2017, China has invested in Gambia aspart of its Belt and Road Initiative. A major focus of Chinese activity inGambia has been processing of locally caught fish for the production fish mealfor export. The economic and environmental impacts of fish meal production inGambia are controversial.
The urbanisation rate as of 2011 was57.3%.[48] Provisional figures from the 2003census show the gap between the urban and rural populations narrowing as moreareas are declared urban. While urban migration, development projects, andmodernisation are bringing more Gambians into contact with Western habits andvalues, indigenous forms of dress and celebration and the traditional emphasison the extended family remain integral parts of everyday life.[67]
The UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Reportfor 2010 ranks the Gambia 151st out of 169 countries on its Human Development Index,putting the country in the "Low Human Development" category. Thisindex compares life-expectancy, years of schooling, gross national income(GNI) per capita and other factors.[89]
The total fertility rate (TFR)was estimated at 3.98 children per woman in 2013.[90]
The roughly 3,500 non-African residentsinclude Europeans and families of Lebanese origin (0.23% of the total population).[67] Most of the European minorityis British,although many of the British left after independence.
Mainarticle: Languages of theGambia
English is the official language of theGambia and is thus used for official purposes and education. Other languages include Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, Serer, Soninke, Krio, Jola and other indigenous vernaculars.[48] Owing to the country's geographicalsetting, knowledge of French (an official language in much of WestAfrica) is relatively widespread.
Mandinka is spoken as a first language by 38% ofthe population, Pulaar by21%, Wolof by18%, Soninke by9%, Jola by4.5%, Serer by2.4%, Manjak and Bainouk by 1.6% each, Portuguese Creole by1%, and English by0.5%. Several other languages are spoken by smaller numbers. Gambian Sign Language isused by the deaf.[91]
The constitution mandates free andcompulsory primary education in the Gambia. Lack of resources and ofeducational infrastructure has made implementation of this difficult.[92] In 1995 the gross primary enrolmentrate was 77.1% and the net primary enrolment rate was 64.7%[92] School fees long prevented many children fromattending school, but in February 1998 President Jammeh ordered the terminationof fees for the first six years of schooling.[92] Girls make up about 52% ofprimary-school pupils. The figure may be lower for girls in rural areas, wherecultural factors and poverty prevent parents from sending girls to school.[92] Approximately 20% of school-agechildren attend Quranic schools.[92]
The InternationalOpen University (until January 2020 known as the Islamic OnlineUniversity), a higher-education institution having more than 435,000 enrolledstudents from over 250 countries worldwide, has its global headquarters in theGambia.[93]
Approximately 96% of the populationidentify as Sunni Muslim, mostly Malikite Sufi. Except for a tiny fraction of one percent, theremainder of the population are Christian. Article 25 of the constitutionprotects the rights of citizens to practise any religion that they choose andintermarriage between Muslims and Christians is common.[95][96]
Virtually all commercial life in the Gambiacomes to a standstill during major Muslim holidays, which include Eid al-Adha and Eid ul-Fitr.[97] Most Muslims in the Gambia followthe Maliki school of jurisprudence.[98] There is also a significant presenceof the Ahmadiyya movement in the country.[99][96] A Shiite Muslim community exists in the Gambia,mainly due to Lebanese andother Arab immigrants to the region.[100] The vast majority of South-Asianimmigrants are also Muslims.[96]
The Christian community comprises about 4%of the population.[94] Residing in the western and southernparts of the Gambia, most members of the Christian community identifythemselves as Roman Catholic.However, smaller Christian groups also exist, such as Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses,and small evangelical denominations.[96]
It is unclear to what extent indigenous beliefs,such as the Serer religion,continue to be practised. Serer religion encompasses cosmology and a belief ina supreme deity called Roog. Some of its religious festivalsinclude the Xooy, Mbosseh, and RandouRande. Each year, adherents of Serer religion make the annual pilgrimageto Sine inSenegal for the Xooy divination ceremony.[101] Serer religion also has a rathersignificant imprint on Senegambian Muslim society in that Senegambian Muslim festivals such as"Tobaski", "Gamo", "Koriteh" and "WeriKor" have names representing loanwords from the Serer religion – they wereancient Serer festivals.[102]
Like the Serers, the Jola people have their own religious customs,including a major religious ceremony, Boukout.
Owing to a small number of immigrants fromSouth Asia, Hindus and followers of the Baháʼí Faith arealso present.[96]
Although the Gambia is the smallest countryon mainland Africa, its culture is the product of very diverse influences. Thenational borders outline a narrow strip on either side of the River Gambia, abody of water that has played a vital part in the nation's destiny and is knownlocally simply as "the River". Without natural barriers, the Gambiahas become home to most of the ethnic groups that are present throughoutwestern Africa, especially those in Senegal.[103]
Europeans also figure prominently inGambian history because the River Gambia is navigable deep into the continent,a geographic feature that made this area one of the most profitable sites forthe slave trade from the 15th through the 17th centuries. (It also made itstrategic to the halt of this trade once it was outlawed in the 19th century.)Some of this history was popularised in the Alex Haley book and TV series Roots,which was set in the Gambia.[104]
Furtherinformation: Music of the Gambia
The music of the Gambia is closely linkedmusically with that of its neighbour,Senegal, which surrounds its inland frontiers completely. It fusespopular Western music and dance, with sabar,the traditional drumming and dance music of the Wolof and Serer people of Senegal.[105]
Mainarticle: Gambian cuisine
The cuisine of the Gambia includes peanuts,rice, fish, meat, onions, tomatoes, cassava, chili peppers and oysters from theRiver Gambia. In particular, yassa and domoda curries[106] are popular with locals andtourists.
Mainarticle: Gambian literature
As with other West African countries, theGambia has a tradition of oral literature, including the griots,traditional storytellers and musicians.[107] Since the 1960s, an English-languageGambian literature has emerged. Lenrie Peters is considered the founding fatherof this literature, whilst notable writers include Tijan Sallah, NanaGrey-Johnson and Mariama Khan.[108][109]
Critics have accused the government ofrestricting free speech. A 2002 law created a commission with the power toissue licenses and imprison journalists; in 2004, additional legislationallowed prison sentences for libel and slander and cancelled all print andbroadcasting licenses, forcing media groups to re-register at five times theoriginal cost.[110][111]
Three Gambian journalists have beenarrested since the coup attempt. It has been suggested that they wereimprisoned for criticising the government's economic policy, or for statingthat a former interior minister and security chief was among the plotters.[112] Newspaper editor Deyda Hydara was shot to death under unexplainedcircumstances, days after the 2004 legislation took effect.
Licensing fees are high for newspapers andradio stations, and the only nationwide stations are tightly controlled by thegovernment.[110]
Reporters Without Borders hasaccused "President Yahya Jammeh's police state" of using murder,arson, unlawful arrest and death threats against journalists.[113]
In December 2010 Musa Saidykhan, formereditor of The Independent newspaper, was awarded US$200,000 by the ECOWASCourt in Abuja, Nigeria. The court found the Government of the Gambia guilty oftorture while he was detained without trial at the National IntelligenceAgency. Apparently he was suspected of knowing about the 2006 failed coup.[114]
As in neighbouring Senegal, the nationaland most popular sport in the Gambia is wrestling.[115] Association football and basketballare also popular. Football in the Gambia is administered by the Gambia Football Federation,who are affiliated to both FIFA and CAF.The GFA runs league football in the Gambia, including top division GFA League First Division,as well as the Gambianational football team. Nicknamed "The Scorpions", the nationalside have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations atsenior level for the first time in 2021. They play at Independence Stadium.The Gambia won two CAF U-17 championships one in 2005 when the country hosted,and 2009 in Algeria automatically qualifying for FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru(2005) and Nigeria (2009) respectively. The U-20 also qualified for FIFA U-202007 in Canada. The female U-17 also competed in FIFA U-17 World Cup 2012 inAzerbaijan.
The Gambia featured a national teamin beach volleyball thatcompeted at the 2018–2020CAVB Beach Volleyball Continental Cup in both the women's andthe men's section.[116]
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