]! ^! The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965; it formed a short-lived federation of Senegambia with Senegal between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations signed a friendship and cooperation treaty. A military coup in 1994 overthrew the president and banned political activity, but a 1996 constitution and presidential elections, followed by parliamentary balloting in 1997, completed a nominal return to civilian rule. The country undertook another round of presidential and legislative elections in late 2001 and early 2002. Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH, the leader of the coup, has been elected president in all subsequent elections. 
]" ^" Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal ^# 13 28 N, 16 34 W ^$ Africa ^% `! 11,300 sq km `" 10,000 sq km `# 1,300 sq km ^& slightly less than twice the size of Delaware ^' `! 740 km `U Senegal 740 km ^( 80 km ^) `$ 12 nm `H 18 nm `J not specified `a 200 nm ^* tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May) ^+ flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& unnamed location 53 m ^- fish, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon, silica sand, clay, petroleum ^. `' 25% `( 0.5% `) 74.5% (2001) ^/ 20 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years) ^1 deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases prevalent _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands `L none of the selected agreements ^2 almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the continent of Africa 
]# ^3 1,593,256 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 44.5% (male 356,079/female 352,894) `+ 52.8% (male 416,809/female 424,429) `, 2.7% (male 22,111/female 20,934) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 17.59 years `- 17.45 years `. 17.74 years (2005 est.) ^6 2.93% (2005 est.) ^7 39.86 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 11.81 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.03 male(s)/female `0 1.01 male(s)/female `+ 0.98 male(s)/female `, 1.06 male(s)/female `1 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 72.02 deaths/1,000 live births `- 78.6 deaths/1,000 live births `. 65.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 53.75 years `- 51.91 years `. 55.64 years (2005 est.) ^= 5.38 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 1.2% (2003 est.) ^? 6,800 (2003 est.) ^@ 600 (2003 est.) __ degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2004) ^A `2 Gambian(s) `3 Gambian ^B African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1% ^C Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1% ^D English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 40.1% `- 47.8% `. 32.8% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Republic of The Gambia `5 The Gambia ^H republic under multiparty democratic rule ^I Banjul ^J 5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Central River, Lower River, North Bank, Upper River, Western ^K 18 February 1965 (from UK) ^L Independence Day, 18 February (1965) ^M 24 April 1970; suspended July 1994; rewritten and approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; reestablished January 1997 ^N based on a composite of English common law, Koranic law, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `6 President Yahya A. J. J. 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 `7 President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996; note - from 1994 to 1996 was he 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 `8 Cabinet appointed by the president `9 president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 18 October 2001 (next to be held October 2006) `: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH reelected president; percent of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 52.9%, Ousainou DARBOE 32.7% ^Q unicameral National Assembly (53 seats; 48 elected by popular vote, five appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) `9 last held 17 January 2002 (next to be held February 2007) `: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - APRC 45, PDOIS 2, NRP 1, ^R Supreme Court ^S Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or APRC - the ruling party [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH]; Gambian People's Party-Progressive People's Party-United Democratic Party or GPP-PPP-UDP Coalition [Ousainou DARBOE]; National Convention Party or NCP [Sheriff DIBBA]; National Reconciliation Party or NRP [Hamat N. K. BAH]; People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS [Sidia JATTA] note: in August 2001, an independent electoral commission allowed the reregistration of the GPP, NCP, and PPP, three parties banned since 1996 ^T NA ^U ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ^V `N Ambassador (vacant) `O Suite 905, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 `P [1] (202) 785-1379 `Q [1] (202) 785-1430 ^W `N Ambassador Joseph D. STAFFORD, III `Z Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul `[ P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul `P [220] 392856, 392858, 391971 `Q [220] 392475 ^X three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green 
]% ^Y The Gambia has no significant mineral or natural resource deposits and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the population depends on crops and livestock for its livelihood. Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of peanuts, fish, and hides. Reexport trade normally constitutes a major segment of economic activity, but a 1999 government-imposed preshipment inspection plan, and instability of the Gambian dalasi (currency) have drawn some of the reexport trade away from The Gambia. The government's 1998 seizure of the private peanut firm Alimenta eliminated the largest purchaser of Gambian groundnuts; the following two marketing seasons saw substantially lower prices and sales. Despite an announced program to begin privatizing key parastatals, no plans have been made public that would indicate that the government intends to follow through on its promises. Unemployment and underemployment rates remain extremely high; short-run economic progress depends on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on responsible government economic management, on continued technical assistance from the IMF and bilateral donors, and on expected growth in the construction sector. ^Z $2.799 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 6% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2004 est.) ^] `; 26.8% `< 14.5% `= 58.7% (2004 est.) ^^ 400,000 (1996) ^_ agriculture 75%, industry, commerce, and services 19%, government 6% ^` NA (2002 est.) ^a NA _! `> NA `? NA _" 7% (2004 est.) _P 25.3% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $44.85 million `A $59.94 million, including capital expenditures of $4.1 million (2004 est.) _$ rice, millet, sorghum, peanuts, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats _% processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism; beverages; agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking; clothing _& NA _' 90.31 million kWh (2002) _( 83.99 million kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 0 kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 1,900 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _X $-16.4 million (2004 est.) _/ $114.4 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels, re-exports _1 India 21.4%, Thailand 15.1%, UK 13.7%, France 12.9%, Germany 8.7%, Italy 7.5% (2004) _2 $180.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment _4 China 23.7%, Senegal 11.6%, Brazil 5.9%, UK 5.5%, Netherlands 4.5%, US 4.4% (2004) _Y $113.1 million (2004 est.) _5 $476 million (2001 est.) _6 $45.4 million (1995) _7 dalasi (GMD) _8 dalasi per US dollar - 27.306 (2003), 27.306 (2003), 19.918 (2002), 15.687 (2001), 12.788 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 38,400 (2002) _; 100,000 (2002) _< `B adequate; a packet switched data network is available `C adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire `D country code - 220; microwave radio relay links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) _= AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001) _> 1 (government-owned) (1997) _? .gm _@ 568 (2004) _A 25,000 (2002) 
]' _B `! 2,700 km `E 956 km `F 1,744 km (1999) _b 390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can reach 190 km) (2004) _C Banjul _K `! 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 30,976 GRT/10,978 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1 `S 1 (Switzerland 1) (2005) _D 1 (2004 est.) _E `! 1 `] 1 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Gambian National Army (GNA), Gambian Navy (GN), Presidential Guard, National Guard _M 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) _] males age 18-49: 309,279 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 188,117 (2005 est.) _N $1 million (2004) _O 0.3% (2004) 
]) _H attempts to stem refugees, cross-border raids, arms smuggling, and other illegal activities by separatists from southern Senegal's Casamance region as well as from conflicts in other west African states 