Gambia
HISTORY:
The Gambia, translated from the French La Gambia was first colonized
by Portugal in 1445 on what was later named St. Mary?s Island.
Subsequently, the area was visited by France and later, Britain who
began to build strong trading posts along it?s western shores. In the
1700?s The Gambia was proclaimed to be part of Britain. By 1969 The
Gambia became a republic within the British commonwealth of
nations. In 1982 it was declared a republic in what was later declared
the Senegambian conference.
The Gambia stated its independence from Britain and the Province of
Senegal. The Gambia then established The People?s Progressive Party
led by, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara , until the change of government in
1994. Today The Gambia lives under a multi-party system. The
Constitution of the Second Republic of The Gambia provides elections
by making everyone over the age of 18 pay suffrage. Every five years
the people elect 45 candidates that make up the county?s National
Assembly.
Four parties made up the 1996 elections. The Alliance for Patriotic
Re-Orientation and Construction (APRC), The United Democratic Party
(UDP), The National Reconciliation Party (NRP), and The People?s
Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS). On
October 18, 1996 Yahya Jammeh (ADRC) won 56% of the votes to
become the new president of The Gambia. The flag consist of three
horizontal stripes. From top to bottom they are: red, blue, then
green. Sorry I couldn?t get a color print on the flag pictured below.
TOPOGRAPHY:
The Gambia is a long narrow country focusing around the central river
that gave them their name. The Gambia river is 300 miles long inside
The Gambia and is about 3 miles wide at most points. The Gambia has
a total land area of 4,000 miles. It is relatively flat with few
mountains and has an inward sloping bowl shape from where the
Gambia river once covered. The Gambia river opens into the ocean at
the western most tip of The Gambia. The capital, Banjul, is located
near the inlet to the river and is a very large city with many tourist
attractions and shops to buy stuff in. The Gambia is located
completely within the county of Senegal from which it won it?s
independence. The river is navigable up to 241km inland. After that
point is impossible to further follow the river without the aid of a
specialized boat for such a trip. Gambia is known to have the most
agreeable climate in the whole of West Africa because of their
amazingly mild climate which keeps the temperatur! e range between
70?F and 80?F in the winter, and 80?F and 90?F in the summer. The
one failure in their weather is their unusually high humidity, ranging
from 30% to 60% all year long.
POPULATION GROWTH:
Since first colonized by the Portuguese, The Gambia?s population has
steadily risen quadraticaly. This graph shows that if this trend
continues then The Gambia might soon run into problems with hunger
and lack of space. The estimated population in 1950 was 500
thousand people which grew to 600 in 1960, 730 in 1970, 960 in
1980, and finally the population today is estimated to be around 1.2
million people.
The economics of The Gambia are highly reliant on their agriculture
which consists of bananas, cassava, corn, hides and skins, limes,
goats, cattle, sheep, mangoes, millet, oranges, palm kernels,
papayas, peanuts, rice, and vegetables. Recently though, the
government has put millions of dollars into tourism as to create a
more stable less reliant economy.
EXPORTS:
Bananas
Cassava
Corn
Hides and Skins
Limes
Goats
Cattle
Sheep
Mangoes
Millet
Oranges
Palm kernels
Papayas
Peanuts
Rice
Vegetables
GOVERNMENT:
Right now, The Gambia, Is under the control of The Alliance for
Patriotic Re-Orientation and Construction (APRC), led by Yahya
Jammeh. The country is a republic with everyone over the age of 18
who pays suffrage to the country being able to vote for the president
and the 45 members of the National Assembly. These people then
represent the people by voting on all bills and laws passed by the
senate. Before The Gambia became under republic rule, it was
governed by the military after they threw over the government
in1994 soon to be re-overthrown by the people of The Gambia.
NATIONAL ANTHEM:
For the gambia our homeland
For The Gambia, our homeland
We strive and work and pray,
That all may live in unity,
Let justice guide our actions
Towards the common good,
And join our diverse peoples
To prove man?s brotherhood.
We pledge our firm allegiance,
Our promise we renew
Keep us, great God of nations,
To The Gambia ever true.
MY TRIP TO GAMBIA:
For my trip to The Gambia I plan to take off from the San Diego
international airport on a 6am flight. I should reach Florida at about
12noon where I will have a lay over for 2 hours while they refuel and
prepare the flight. After the wait I will board the flight and reach The
Gambia at about 8am the next day. I?ll have reservations at the hotel
for the day I arrive. I plan to have such a severe case of jet lag as
to render me bed ridden for the next 2 days. After I recover I will
spend another 2 days exploring the sites around the hotel in eastern
The Gambia. After those days are up I will hop on a small charter
boat and take the river east until I reach the west coast of Africa.
This trip should take 3 weeks. After I arrive at the coast I will stay at
the beach for 2 days then head to the capital ad stay there for 3
days. After that, I will take off from a local airport and head the same
back as the way I came.