1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
10,360 km2; 25% uncultivated savanna, 16% swamps, 4% forest parks, 55% upland cultivable areas, built-up areas, and other
Coastline
80 km
Land boundaries
740 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
50 nm
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
over 99% Africans (Mandinka 40.8%, Fulani 13.5%, Wolof 12.9%, remainder made up of several smaller groups), fewer than 1% Europeans and Lebanese
Labor force
approx. 165,000, mostly engaged in subsistence farming; about 15,000 are wage earners (government, trade, services)
Language
English official; Mandinka and Wolof most widely used vernaculars
Literacy
about 10%
Nationality
noun—Gambian(s); adjective—Gambian
Organized labor
25% to 30% of wage labor force at most
Population
635,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.8%
Religion
85% Muslim, 15% animist and Christian
Government
Branches
Cabinet of 10 members; 44-member House of Representatives, in which four seats are reserved for chiefs, four are 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
small underground group
Elections
general elections held April 1977; PPP 31 seats, NCP 4 seats; next general elections scheduled for 1982
Government leader
Sir Alhaji Dawda Kairaba JAWARA, President Political parties and leaders: People's Progressive Party (PPP), Secretary General Dawda K. Jawara; United Party (UP), Pierre N'Jie; and National Convention Party (NCP), Sherrif Dibba (Dibba is to be tried for treason because of his complicity in the August 1980 coup attempt; the NCP may be disbanded)
Legal system
based on English common 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, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IMCO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMD, WTO
National holiday
18 February
Official name
Republic of The Gambia
Political subdivisions
Banjul and five divisions
Suffrage
universal adult
Type
republic; independent since February 1965 (The Gambia and Senegal in early 1982 formed a loose confederation named Senegambia, which calls for the integration of their armed forces, economies and monetary systems, and foreign policies)
Economy
Agriculture
main crops—peanuts, millet, sorghum, rice, palm kernels
Aid
economic commitments—Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-79), $91.0 million; Communist countries (1974-79), $17 million; OPEC, ODA (1974-79), $36.0 million; US (FY70-79), $18.2 million
Budget
(1980-81) revenues $51.5 million, current expenditures $49.4 million, development expenditures $35.8 million
Electric power
10,000 kW capacity (1980); 35 million kWh produced (1980), 57 kWh per capita
Exports
$27.4 million (1980); peanuts and peanut products, fish, and palm kernels
Fiscal year
1 July-30 June
Fishing
catch 17,446 metric tons (1979); exports $956,000 (1974)
GNP
$200 million (1980), about $333 per capita; real growth rate 2.8% (1980)
Imports
$141.2 million (1980); textiles, foodstuffs, tobacco, machinery, petroleum products
Major industry
peanut processing
Major trade partners
exports—mainly EEC; imports—EEC
Monetary conversion rate
1 Dalasi=US$0.716 (1981)
Communications
Airfields
1 usable with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
Civil air
no major transport aircraft
Highways
3,083 km total; 431 km paved, 501 km gravel/laterite, and 2,151 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
400 km
Ports
1 major (Banjul)
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
adequate network of radio relay and wire; 3,500 telephones (0.5 per 100 popl.); 2 AM and no FM stations; no TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station
Military and Security
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 30 June 1981, $2.4 million; 6.2% of central government budget; includes fire and police expenditures
Military manpower
males 15-49, 141,000; 71,000 fit for military service