Wayzata World Factbook 1994/World Factbook - 1994 Edition - Wayzata Technology (1994).iso/pc/text/txtfiles/gambia.bkg

Text File | 1994-04-17 | 19KB | 437 lines

#CARD:The Gambia:Background Notes
BACKGROUND NOTES:  THE GAMBIA
PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
US DEPARTMENT OF STATE
J
ê(⌠p
DECEMBER 1992
Official Name:  Republic of The Gambia
J
ê(⌠p
PROFILE
J
ê(⌠p
Geography
Area:  11,300 sq. km (4,361 sq. mi.) slightly more than twice the size
of Delaware.  Cities:  Capital--Banjul (pop. 44,000).  Terrain:  Flood
plain of the Gambia River flanked by low hills.  Climate:  Tropical; hot
rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to
May).
J
ê(⌠p
People
Nationality:  Noun and adjective--Gambian(s).  Population (1991 est.):
855,000.  Annual growth rate (1991 est.): 3.4%.  Ethnic Groups:
Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other
4%, non-Gambian 1%.  Religions:  Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, and
animist 1%.   Languages:  English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula,
other indigenous languages.  Education: Years compulsory--none.
Attendance--65% (ages 5-19).  Literacy--30%.  Health:  Infant mortality
rate--138/1,000.  Life expectancy--men 47 yrs, women 51 yrs.  Work
Force:  400,000, Agriculture--75%, Industry, commerce, and services--
19%, Government--6%.
J
ê(⌠p
Government
Type:  Republic.  Independence:  February 18, 1965.  Constitution:
April 24, 1970.
J
ê(⌠p
Branches:  Executive--president (chief of state and head of government),
vice president, cabinet.  Legislative--unicameral House of
Representatives.  Judicial--Supreme Court.
J
ê(⌠p
Subdivisions:  Capital and 5 divisions.
J
ê(⌠p
Political parties:  Progressive People's Party (PPP) (Ruling party);
Gambia People's Party (GPP), National Convention Party (NCP),
Gambia People's Democratic Party (GPDP), People's Democratic
Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS), United Party
(UP).   Suffrage:  Universal at  21.
J
ê(⌠p
Flag:  Three horizontal bands of red, blue, and green, with blue center
bordered by two white stripes.
J
ê(⌠p
Economy
GDP (1991):  $331 million.  Annual growth rate:  2%.  Per capita
income:   $373.
J
ê(⌠p
Natural resources:  Seismic studies show that oil may be present.
J
ê(⌠p
Agriculture (20% of GDP):  Products--peanuts, rice, millet, sorghum,
fish, palm kernels, vegetables, livestock, forestry.  Peanuts account for
5% of GDP.
J
ê(⌠p
Industry (12% of GDP):  Types--peanut products, construction,
brewing, soft drinks, agricultural machinery assembly, small
woodworking and metal working, clothing.
J
ê(⌠p
Trade  (1991 est.):  Exports--$127 million,  including re-export of
various goods (83%), peanuts (8%), palm kernels, fish, and other
domestic products.  Major markets--UK, other EC countries, West
African neighbors. Imports--$167 million, including textiles,
foodstuffs, machinery, transportation equipment, 62% for domestic
consumption, 38% for re-export.  Major suppliers--UK, other EC
countries, China, Japan, and other Asian countries, West African
neighbors.
J
ê(⌠p
Official exchange rate (1992 est.):  9.25 Dalasis=US$1.
J
ê(⌠p
US economic aid received (FY1992):  $8 million--mainly agricultural
and private sector development projects. (###)
J
ê(⌠p
PEOPLE AND HISTORY
A wide variety of ethnic groups live side by side in The Gambia with a
minimum of inter-tribal friction, each preserving its own language and
traditions.  The Mandinka tribe is the largest, followed by the Fula,
Wolof,  Jola, and Serahuli groups.  Approximately 2,500 non-Africans
live in The Gambia, including Europeans and many families of
Lebanese origin.
J
ê(⌠p
Muslims constitute over 95% of the population.  Christians of different
denominations account for most of the remainder.  Gambians officially
observe the holidays of both religions and practice religious tolerance.
J
ê(⌠p
More than 80% of Gambians live in rural villages, although more and
more young people come to the capital in search of work, education,
and broader horizons.  While urban migration, development projects,
and modernization are bringing more and more Gambians into contact
with European habits and values, the traditional emphasis on the
extended family, as well as indigenous forms of dress and celebration,
remain integral parts of everyday life.
J
ê(⌠p
The Gambia was once part of the Empire of Ghana and the Kingdom of
the Songhais.  The first written accounts of the region come from
records of Arab traders in the 9th and 10th centuries A.D.  Arab traders
established the trans-Saharan trade route for slaves, gold, and ivory.  In
the 15th century, the Portuguese took over this trade using maritime
routes.  At that time, The Gambia was part of the Kingdom of Mali.
J
ê(⌠p
In 1588, the claimant to the Portuguese throne, Antonio, Prior of Crato,
sold exclusive trade rights on the Gambia River to English merchants;
this grant was confirmed by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I.  In
1618, James I granted a charter to a British company for trade with The
Gambia and the Gold Coast (now Ghana).
J
ê(⌠p
During the late 17th century and throughout the 18th, England and
France struggled continuously for political and commercial supremacy
in the regions of the Senegal and Gambia Rivers.  The 1783 Treaty of
Versailles gave Great Britain possession of The Gambia, but the French
retained an enclave at Albreda on the north bank of the river (ceded to
the United Kingdom in 1857).
J
ê(⌠p
As many as 3 million slaves may have been taken from the region
during the 3 centuries that the trade operated.  It is not known how
many were taken by Arab traders.  Most of those taken were sold to
Europeans by other Africans; some were prisoners of inter-tribal wars,
some were sold because of unpaid debts, while others were kidnapped.
Slaves were initially sent to Europe to work as servants until the market
for labor expanded in the West Indies and North America in the 18th
century.  In 1807, slave trading was abolished throughout the British
Empire, and the British tried unsuccessfully to end the slave traffic in
The Gambia.  They established the military post of Bathurst (now
Banjul) in 1816.  In the ensuing years, Banjul was at times under the
jurisdiction of the governor general in Sierra Leone.  In 1843, it was
made a separate British colony.  Beginning in 1866, The Gambia and
Sierra Leone were reunited under a single administration, but in 1888,
The Gambia became a separate entity again.
J
ê(⌠p
An 1889 agreement with France established the present boundaries, and
The Gambia became a British Crown Colony, divided for administrative
purposes into the colony (city of Banjul and the surrounding area) and
the protectorate (remainder of the territory).  The Gambia received its
own executive and legislative councils in 1901 and gradually progressed
toward self-government.  A 1906 ordinance abolished slavery.
J
ê(⌠p
During World War II, Gambian troops fought with the Allies in Burma,
and Banjul served as an air stop for the US Army Air Corps and a port
of call for allied naval convoys.  US President Franklin D. Roosevelt
stopped overnight in Banjul en route to and from the Casablanca
Conference in 1943, marking the first visit to the African continent by
an American president in office.
J
ê(⌠p
After World War II, the pace of constitutional advance quickened, and
following general elections in 1962, full internal self-government was
granted in 1963.

The Gambia achieved independence on February 18, 1965, as a
constitutional monarchy within the British Commonwealth.  Shortly
thereafter, the government proposed conversion from a monarchy to a
republic with an elected president replacing the British monarch as chief
of state.  The proposal failed to receive the two-thirds majority required
to amend the constitution, but the results won widespread attention
abroad as testimony to The Gambia's observance of secret balloting,
honest elections, and civil rights and liberties.  On April 24, 1970, The
Gambia became a republic following a majority-approved referendum.
J
ê(⌠p
The Gambia has been led since independence by President Dawda
Kairaba Jawara, who has been re-elected five times.  The peace and
stability of the Jawara era have been broken only once, in a violent coup
attempt in 1981.  The coup was led by Kukoi Samba Sanyang, who, on
two occasions, had unsuccessfully sought election to parliament.  After
a week of violence which left several hundred dead, Jawara, in London
when the attack began, appealed to Senegal for help.  Senegalese troops
defeated the rebel force.
J
ê(⌠p
In the aftermath of the attempted coup, Senegal and The Gambia signed
the 1982 Treaty of Confederation.  The result, the Senegambia
Confederation, aimed eventually to combine the armed forces of the two
nations and unify economies and currencies.  The Gambia withdrew
from the confederation in 1989.
J
ê(⌠p
GOVERNMENT
According to the constitution promulgated on April 24, 1970, the
government is divided into independent executive, legislative, and
judicial branches.  Executive power is vested in a president, popularly
elected for a 5-year term.   The president appoints the vice president and
the cabinet.
J
ê(⌠p
The legislature is composed of 51 members as follows:  36 members of
the House of Representatives elected by universal adult suffrage for 5-
year terms; 8 members nominated by the president; 5 tribal chiefs elected
by the house of chiefs; the attorney general (ex-officio); and the speaker,
elected by the members of the house.
J
ê(⌠p
The judiciary consists of a supreme court, the court of appeals, and
various subordinate courts.  Judges are appointed by the central
government.
J
ê(⌠p
Local government varies.  Banjul has an elected town council.  Five
rural divisions exist, each with a council containing a majority of elected
members.  Each council has its own treasury and is responsible for local
government services.  The tribal chiefs retain traditional powers
authorized by customary law.
J
ê(⌠p
Principal Government Officials
President--Alhaji Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara
Vice President--Alhaji Saihou Sulayman Sabally
Ambassador to the US and the UN--Ousman A. Sallah
J
ê(⌠p
The Gambia maintains an embassy at 1155 - 15th Street, NW, Suite
1000, Washington, DC 20005.  Tel. [phone].  Its UN Mission is
located at 820 2nd Avenue, Ste. 900-C , New York, NY 10017. Tel.
212-949-6640.
J
ê(⌠p
DEFENSE
The Gambian national army numbers approximately 900.  Through a
bilateral agreement, Nigeria has provided the Gambian army with
technical assistance in the form of a commander for the army and a
training team.  The Gambia national army also receives training from the
United Kingdom.
J
ê(⌠p
Members of the force participated in the monitoring group of the peace-
keeping force deployed during the Liberian civil war beginning in 1990.
Responsibilities for internal security and law enforcement rest with the
Gambian police/gendarme force under the Inspector General of Police
and the Ministry of Interior.
J
ê(⌠p
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
The Gambia is one of the oldest existing multi-party democracies in
Africa.  Since independence, it has conducted freely-contested elections
every 5 years.  Gambians enjoy full freedom of speech and the right to
form political parties in opposition to the government, along with a
criminal justice system with a reputation for fairness and respect for
individual rights.  The Gambia's human rights record is often put
forward as an example for other nations.
J
ê(⌠p
The People's Progressive Party (PPP), headed by President Jawara, has
dominated Gambian politics for nearly 30 years.  After spearheading the
movement toward complete independence from Britain, the PPP was
voted into power and has never been seriously challenged by any
opposition party.  In the country's most recent elections (April 1992),
the PPP captured 25 of 36 elected seats in parliament and 58% of the
popular vote for president.  The principal opposition party, the National
Convention Party (NCP) won 6 seats and 22% of the presidential vote
for its party leader, Sherrif M. Dibba.  Other opposition parties include
the Gambia People's Party (GPP), the People's Democratic
Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS), and the
Gambian People's Democratic Party (PDP).  The next national elections
will be held in 1997.
J
ê(⌠p
ECONOMY
The Gambian economy is characterized by traditional subsistence
agriculture, historic reliance on peanuts or groundnuts for export
earnings, and a re-export trade built up around its ocean port, low
import duties, minimal administrative procedures, and a fluctuating
exchange rate with no exchange controls.  Three sectors of the
economy--horticulture, fisheries, and tourism--have experienced
significant growth during recent years, and are expected to be the focus
of export-oriented investment in the 1990s.
J
ê(⌠p
Agriculture accounts for 20% of gross domestic product (GDP) and
employs 75% of the labor force.  Within agriculture, peanut production
accounts for 5% of GDP, other crops 8.3%, livestock 4.4%, fishing
1.8% and forestry 0.5%.  Industry accounts for 12% of GDP, of which
manufacturing is 6%.  The limited amount of manufacturing is primarily
agriculturally-based (e.g., peanut processing, bakeries, a brewery, and
a tannery).  Other manufacturing activities include soap, soft drinks, and
clothing.  Services account for the remaining 46% of GDP.
J
ê(⌠p
In FY 1991, nearly all domestically produced exports were agricultural
products, amounting to about 17% of GDP.  Of that percentage,
peanuts, the major commodity, accounted for half.  The other 50%
include fish, lobster, and shrimp (24%), horticultural commodities
(9%), and other products, such as cotton, hides, and live cattle (17%).

In FY 1991 the United Kingdom was The Gambia's major export
market, accounting for 25% of the total, followed by Netherlands with
20%, and Belgium with 16%.  China was the major source of imports,
accounting for 25% of the total, followed closely by the United
Kingdom and France.  The Gambia reports no exports going to the
United States but does report that 4% of imports came from there.
Trade in re-exports is more than three times larger than that in
domestically produced exports.
J
ê(⌠p
In 1985, the Government of The Gambia began a major economic
recovery program.  Reforms to date include the abolition of price
controls, elimination of interest rate and credit controls, floating of the
exchange rate, public sector retrenchment, privatization of a number of
state-owned enterprises, and a more disciplined fiscal and monetary
policy.
J
ê(⌠p
There is presently one major US investment in the country, a shrimp
trawler operation.  An official US investment mission visited in
November 1991.
J
ê(⌠p
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Although The Gambia follows a formal policy of non-alignment, it
maintains particularly close relations with the United Kingdom,
Senegal, and other African members of the Commonwealth.  The
Gambia takes an active interest in international--especially African and
Arab--affairs, although its representation abroad is limited.  President
Jawara served as chairman of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) peace committee, which sought to end the Iran-Iraq
conflict.  As chairman of the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) in 1990-91, Jawara played a critical role in directing
that organization's efforts to resolve the Liberian civil war.   ECOWAS
succeeded in bringing about a cease-fire and negotiating a peace
agreement which seeks to resolve the conflict through democratic
elections.
J
ê(⌠p
US-GAMBIAN RELATIONS
US policy is to expand and strengthen its friendly ties with The Gambia.
The United States provides about $8 million  worth of economic and
technical assistance through the US Agency for International
Development (USAID), primarily for agricultural and private sector
development.  A $1.4 million program in maternal health care is carried
out for USAID by Catholic Relief Services.  US assistance to The
Gambia totals about $8 million annually.  The Peace Corps program
involves about 50 volunteers, mainly engaged in forestry, agriculture,
and secondary school teaching.  The US also provides military training
to the Gambian army through the International Military Education and
Training (IMET) program.
J
ê(⌠p
Principal US Officials
Ambassador--Arlene Render
Political/Consular Officer--Gregory N. Hicks
Administrative Officer--Theodore M. Leinhart
USAID Representative--Bonnie Pounds
Peace Corps Country Director--Nanette Hegamin
J
ê(⌠p
The US embassy in The Gambia is in Fajara on Pipeline Road (Kairaba
Avenue). (Tel. [220] 92858/92856/91970; FAX [220] 92475).  The
USAID offices are in Banjul at 60 Leman St., (Tel. [phone]).
The Peace Corps office (Tel. [220] 92466) is on Pipeline Road (Kairaba
Avenue), one city block from the Embassy.  (###)
J
ê(⌠p
TRAVEL NOTES:
Climate and clothing:  The Gambia's sub-tropical climate has a distinct
hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-November).  During the cold, dry
season (mid-November to mid-May), light jackets and sweaters are
often worn.
J
ê(⌠p
Health:  Sanitation in Banjul is fair, and tap water is potable.
Immunizations, and antimalaria suppressants are recommended.
Mosquitoes carry a chloroquine-resistant variety of malaria.
J
ê(⌠p
Telecommunications:  Telex and fax services are available to the US,
Europe, and Dakar.  Radiotelephone service operates to the UK, most
of Europe, and the west coast of Africa.  Satellite-telephone service is
available to Europe and the US.  Banjul is 5 standard time zones ahead
of eastern standard time.
J
ê(⌠p
Transportation:  Banjul is 25 minutes by air from Dakar, where
worldwide air connections are frequent and excellent.  Direct flights to
London and Brussels operate frequently.  Taxis are available at stands; it
is advisable to agree on the fare in advance.
J
ê(⌠p
Visas:  Visas for American citizens are required and should be obtained
before arrival from the Gambian Embassy in Washington, DC, the
Gambian UN Mission
in New York, or Gambian missions in other countries. (###)
J
ê(⌠p
Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of Public
Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington, DC --
December 1992 -- Editor:  Gloria Beasley
J
ê(⌠p
Department of State Publication 8014
Background Notes Series -- This material is in the public domain and
may be reproduced without permission; citation of this source is
appreciated.
J
ê(⌠p
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC 20402
J
ê(⌠p
Contents of this publication are not copyrighted unless indicated.  If not
copyrighted, the material may be reproduced without consent; citation of
the publication as the source is appreciated.  Permission to reproduce
any copyrighted material (including graphics) must be obtained from the
original source.
(###)
J
ê(⌠p

#ENDCARD