The Gambia

• tropical;
• hot, rainy season (June to November);
• cooler, dry season (November to May)

total:

0.03 cu km/yr (23%/12%/65%)

per capita:

20 cu m/yr (2000)

• deforestation;
• desertification;
• water-borne diseases prevalent

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

respiratory disease:

meningococcal meningitis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2009)

noun:

Gambian(s)

adjective:

Gambian

conventional long form:

Republic of The Gambia

conventional short form:

The Gambia

name:

Banjul

geographic coordinates:

13 27 N, 16 34 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

chief of state:

• 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

head of government:

President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president

elections:

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)

election results:

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%

• 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 [Halifa SALLAH];
• United Democratic Party or UDP [Ousainou DARBOE]

• National Environment Agency or NEA;
• West African Peace Building Network-Gambian Chapter or WANEB-GAMBIA;
• Youth Employment Network Gambia or YENGambia

other:

special needs group advocates; teachers and principals

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant)

chancery:

Suite 600, 1424 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

telephone:

[1] (202) 785-1379, 1399, 1425

FAX:

[1] (202) 785-1430

chief of mission:

Ambassador Barry L. WELLS

embassy:

Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul

mailing address:

P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul

telephone:

[220] 439-2856, 437-6169, 437-6170

FAX:

[220] 439-2475

agriculture:

75%

industry:

19%

services:

6% (1996)

lowest 10%:

2%

highest 10%:

36.9% (2003)

general assessment:

• adequate;
• a packet switched data network is available;
• state-owned Gambia Telecommunications partially privatized in 2007

domestic:

adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity reached 70 telephones per 100 persons in 2008

international:

• country code - 220;
• microwave radio relay links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)

total:

3,742 km

country comparison to the world: 158

paved:

723 km

unpaved:

3,019 km (2004)

males age 16-49:

379,668

females age 16-49:

384,438 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

238,454

females age 16-49:

253,680 (2009 est.)

male:

20,238

female:

20,167 (2009 est.)

current situation:

• The Gambia is a source, transit, and destination country for children and women trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation;
• women and girls, and to a lesser extent boys, are trafficked for sexual exploitation - in particular to meet the demand for European sex tourism - and for domestic servitude;
• boys are trafficked within the country for forced begging and street vending;
• Gambian women and children may be trafficked to Europe through trafficking schemes disguised as migrant smuggling

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, The Gambia is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking;
• The Gambia failed to report any trafficking arrests, prosecutions, or convictions in 2007, and the government demonstrated weak victim protection efforts during the reporting period (2008)