The Gambia

The Gambia Economy

The Gambia is in West Africa, on the Atlantic coast and surrounded by a neighbouring country, Senegal. It occupies a long narrow strip of land which encircles the River Gambia.The land is flat, dominated by the river, which is navigable all along the country. According to the United Nations data projections, Gambia’s population in 2020 was estimated at 2442561 million people. Moreover, The Gambia itself has an area of 11,295 square kilometres. It is divided into five regions, namely Lower River (Mansa Konko), Central River (Janjanbureh), North Bank (Kerewan), Upper River (Basse Santa Su), and Western Coast region (Brikama). The current forms of government are multi-party republic with a legislative house called the National Assembly and the official language is English. Some towns are located in the upper reaches of the river Gambia and many Gambians live in rural areas. The capital city is called Banjul and is accompanied by Gambia’s two largest cities, namely Serekunda and Brikama. The main ethnic groups and languages are Mandinka, Fula, Wollof, Jola, Aku, Serere and Sarahuli. The country is famous for its tourism and beaches along its small Atlantic shore where The Gambia flows into the Atlantic Ocean. It is also notable for being the home of Jufureh, the famous ancestral village of Kunta Kinteh, the main character of the well-known novel by Alex Haley (Roots). This diagram illustrates the map of The Gambia showing the Atlantic Ocean and surrounded by The Gambia River with numerous nature reserves, forests and national parks. It is clear that with all the natural resources and the attraction of the site, undoubtedly gains its foreign currency through tourism.