Gambia - Consulate of The Republic of The Gambia

The Gambia

The Country

The Gambia is a small but beautiful country in West Africa covering about 11,300 square kilometres. From the west The Gambia borders with the Atlantic Ocean, the body of the country, a 400 kilometres narrow strip of land, borders on the other three sides with Senegal.

The Nature

The most important part of the landscape is The River Gambia. The river threads through the centre of The Gambia, providing very good transport and excellent fishing areas as well as a great place for sightseeing. The river and the land surrounding it are rich in various species of animals and plants. Bird life numbers over 400 different species and is a world-wide attraction. Along the Atlantic coast there are white sand beaches.

People

Most recent estimations number the population at around 1.6 million of citizens with a natural growth of the population of 2.84 % per annum. About 80 percent of the population live on the land. The main ethnic group in the country is the Mandinkas, making up about 42 percent of the population. Other ethnic groups are the Fulas (18 percent), the Wollof (16 percent), the Djola (10 percent), and the Sarahuleys (9 percent). Strong traditions of all these groups can be widely seen in paintings on cloth, wood sculpture and their very rhythmical music and dances. The population is mostly Islamic (90 percent), the only other major group being Christians, but sometimes one can meet members of indigenous religions.

History

The history and traditions of The Gambia and its ethnic groups goes back to 470 BC, when the Carthaginian sailor Hanno mentioned The Gambia whilst writing about his trip to West Africa. During the 13th century The Gambia was a part of the ancient Empires of Ghana and of Mali, which covered large parts of West Africa. The first colonists in this area were the farmers from Mandinkas group who brought with them Islam.

In 1455 the Portuguese landed on the Atlantic Coast. They introduced cotton and peanuts to the Gambians. In 1581 the British bought the privileges of trade for The Gambia. In the second half of the 17th century the French came to the Gambia and the long-lasting battle for influence between them and the British began. In 1783 British managed to take over all the land under their influence and only they had privileges to trade on The River Gambia. The Tobacco and gunpowder were traded for gold, ivory and slaves. For two hundred years The Gambia was a British colony and in 1965 it gained its independence.

At the present time The Gambia is recognised as one of the most peaceful country in the region. On the political arena there are several political parties, the universal and free elections for the parliament and president take place regularly.

Economy

The main source of national income of The Gambia is the production and export of peanuts. Earnings from this amount to 80 percent of all export income. Another important part of the economy is tourism. The Government spends large amounts of money on the development of infrastructure to promote tourism. The political and economical aspirations of The Gambian nation have been expressed in a strategy document for the development of the Gambia titled "Vision for the year 2020". The strategy's prime aim is a dynamic development of tourism, fishing and the fish processing industry, and agriculture - specifically the cultivation of rice and millet and horticulture. Ambitious plans have been drawn to create a free economic zone around the port of Banjul, which will attract foreign capital to The Gambia.

Investing in The Gambia

An Introduction to Doing Business in The Gambia