The Gambia

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

total:

0.09 cu km/yr (41%/21%/39%)

per capita:

65.77 cu m/yr (2005)

• 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

noun:

Gambian(s)

adjective:

Gambian

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.96 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.9 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and dengue fever

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

respiratory disease:

meningococcal meningitis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2013)

total number:

103,389

percentage:

25 % (2006 est.)

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)

• previous 1970;
• latest adopted 8 April 1996, approved by referendum 8 August 1996, effective 16 January 1997;
• amended several times, last in 2009 (2009)

chief of state:

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

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held on 24 November 2011 (next to be held in 2016)

election results:

Yahya JAMMEH reelected president; percent of vote - Yahya JAMMEH 71.5%, Ousainou DARBOE 17.4%, Hamat BAH 11.1%

highest court(s):

Supreme Court of The Gambia (consists of the chief justice and 6 other justices); note - court sessions held with 5 justices

judge selection and term of office:

• justices appointed by the president after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission, a 6-member independent body of high-level judicial officials, a presidential appointee, and a National Assembly appointee;
• justices appointed for life or until mandatory retirement age

subordinate courts:

• Court of Appeal;
• High Court;
• Special Criminal Court;
• Khadis or Muslim courts;
• district tribunals;
• magistrates courts

• Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or APRC [Yahya JAMMEH] (the ruling party)
• 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 BAH]
• People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS [Halifa SALLAH]
• United Democratic Party or UDP [Ousainou DARBOE]

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Baboucarr JARROW (since 25 June 2013)

chancery:

Suite 240, Georgetown Plaza, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

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

FAX:

[1] (202) 342-0240

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Richard T. YONEOKA

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

• three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green;
• red stands for the sun and the savannah, blue represents the Gambia River, and green symbolizes forests and agriculture;
• the white stripes denote unity and peace

agriculture:

75%

industry:

19%

services:

6% (1996)

lowest 10%:

2%

highest 10%:

36.9% (2003)

general assessment:

adequate microwave radio relay and open-wire network; state-owned Gambia Telecommunications partially privatized in 2007

domestic:

combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity, aided by multiple mobile-cellular providers, is roughly 80 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 220;
• microwave radio relay links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau;
• a landing station for the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) undersea fiber-optic cable is scheduled for completion in 2011;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)

• state-owned, single-channel TV service;
• state-owned radio station and 4 privately owned radio stations;
• transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available, some via shortwave radio;
• cable and satellite TV subscription services are obtainable in some parts of the country (2007)

total:

3,740 km

country comparison to the world: 159

paved:

711 km

unpaved:

3,029 km (2011)

• 18 years of age for male and female voluntary military service;
• no conscription;
• service obligation 6 months (2012)

males age 16-49:

423,306

females age 16-49:

438,641 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

315,176

females age 16-49:

347,017 (2010 est.)

male:

20,508

female:

20,853 (2010 est.)

current situation:

• The Gambia is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• Gambian women, children, and, to a lesser extent, boys are exploited for prostitution and domestic servitude;
• women, girls, and boys from West African countries are trafficked to the Gambia for sexual exploitation, particularly catering to European tourists seeking sex with children;
• some Gambian trafficking victims have been identified in neighboring West African countries and the UK;
• boys in some Koranic schools are forced into street vending or begging

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - The Gambia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government has sustained its modest anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts, opening some investigations but failing to initiate any prosecutions or to formally identify any victims;
• a government program was launched providing resources and financial support to 12 Koranic schools on the condition that their students are not forced to beg (2013)