1988 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1988 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Ethnic divisions
99% African (42% Mandinka, 18% Fula, 16% Wolof, 10% Jola, 9% Serahuli, 4% other); 1% non-Gambian
Infant mortality rate
174/1,000
Labor force
165,000 (1983 est); 75.0% agriculture; 18.9% industry, commerce, and services; 6.1% government
Language
English (official); Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars
Life expectancy
42
Literacy
12%
Nationality
noun — Gambian(s); adjective— Gambian
Organized labor
25-30% of wage labor force
Population
760,362 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.44%
Religion
90% Muslim, 9% Christian, 1% indigenous beliefs
Government
Administrative divisions
Banjul and five divisions
Branches
unicameral legislative branch (43-member parliament), in which four seats are reserved for tribal chiefs, four are government appointed, 35 are filled by election for five-year terms, a Speaker is elected by the House, and the Attorney General is an appointed member; independent judiciary
Capital
Banjul
Communists
no Communist party
Elections
general election held March
Government leader
Sir Dawda Kairaba JAWARA, President (since February 1970) Political parties and leaders: People's Progressive Party (PPP), secretary general, Dawda K. Jawara; National Convention Party (NCP), Sheriff Dibba; Gambian People's Party (GPP), Assan Musa Camara; United Party (UP)
Legal system
based on a composite of English common law, Koranic law, and customary law; constitution came into force upon independence in 1965, new republican constitution adopted in April 1970; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Member of
AfBD, APC, Commonwealth, EGA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDE— Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, IRC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 18 February
Official name
Republic of The Gambia
Suffrage
universal adult over 21
Type
republic; independent since February 1965; in 1982 The Gambia and Senegal formed a loose confederation named Senegambia that calls for the eventual integration of their armed forces and economic cooperation
Voting strength
PPP 27 seats, NCP 4 seats, others 4 seats
Economy
Agriculture
peanuts, millet, sorghum, rice, maize, palm kernels, cotton
Aid
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-84), $283 million; US (FY70-85), $54 million
Budget
revenues, $44.2 million; current expenditures, $34.90 million; development expenditures, $19.7 million (1982-83 est.)
Electric power
29,000 kW capacity; 63 million kWh produced, 81 kWh per capita (1986)
Exports
$59 million (f.o.b., FY85 est.) peanuts and peanut products, fish, palm kernels
Fiscal year
1 July-30 June
Fishing
catch 9,600 metric tons (1983)
GDP
$125 million, about $200 per capita; real growth rate -7.8% (FY84)
Imports
$73 million (f.o.b., FY85 est.); textiles, foodstuffs, tobacco, machinery, petroleum products, chemicals
Major industries
peanut processing, tourism, brewing, soft drinks, agricultural machinery assembly, small woodworking and metalworking, clothing
Major trade partners
exports — mainly EC, Africa; imports — EC, Africa
Monetary conversion rate
7.52 dalasi=US$l (November 1986)
Natural resources
fish
Communications
Railroads
none