The Gambia, general information
| Note that some of the information (gas prices!) can be outdated since we made this page after visiting the country for the last time! | |
| Official name | Republic of The Gambia |
| Area | 11,300 km², of which 1,300 km² water |
| Number of inhabitants | 1.5 million (July 2004); |
| Population density | 137 people per km², but people are mostly concentrated in the western part and around the river Gambia |
| Capital | Banjul (40,000 inhabitants, although Serrekunda is much bigger with almost 200,000 people) |
| Monetary unit | Dalasi, divided into 100 butut. 10 Dalasi is about € 0,28 (jan. 2005); 1 € = about DAL 35. (1 € = $ 1.24; 1 Dollar = € 0.7; Rate in Jan. 2009) |
| Fuel prices | Gas and diesel cost about € 0,61 per liter (22 Dalasi) |
| License plate of cars | WAG |
| Telephone country prefix | 220 |
| Internet country code | .gm |
| Time difference | GMT; one hour earlier than in Holland in the winter. In the summer this is 2 hours since they have no daylight saving time |
| Road network | About 2,500 km of which only 1,000 km is paved. Some of these are in really bad shape! |
| Prices in general | The touristic areas are very expensive, considering the poorness of the country. For a beer you pay 50 Dalasi (€ 1,40) in hotels and 25 Dalasi in cheap places. A coffee (nescafe) is about 75 Dalasi. For 2 main courses and two soft drinks we often paid about 450 Dalasi (€ 12,50). For a lot of things it is important to negotiate about the price (never pay more than 50% of what they ask), but still then taxi's aren't very cheap. |
| The best in Republic of The Gambia | The friendliness and warmth of the people (forget the hustlers near the hotels). Go to Tanje (or Tanji), a village of fishermen, and the people will embrace you without asking for anything. And the climate, of course... |
The Gambia (officially: Republic of The Gambia) is situated on the most westerly point of Africa bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The Gambia is the smallest country of the African continent with only 11,300 km². From east to west the distance is about 320 km., while from north to south the distance varies between 20 to 50 km. (near the coast). The Gambia is surrounded on three sides by Senegal.
In July 2004, The Gambia had 1.5 million inhabitants, of which almost 50% aged under 18 years. The population density is 137 per km², making The Gambia number four of most densely populated countries in Africa. Most Gambians live near the coast, where also the biggest towns (Serrekunda, almost 200,000 people, Banjul and Brikama with both more than 40,000 inhabitants) are located.
More information at Access Gambia Web Directory.
More information at Access Gambia Web Directory.
English is the official language in The Gambia, but only those who went to school really speak it, since education is not obligatory. Most people speak the language of their tribe, like Mandinka, Woolof, Fulani, Dyda, Serer or Serahule.
Look at ethnologue.com for more information about the languages in The Gambia.
The Gambia is well known for its dark place in history as the leaving point for many Africans led into slavery.
We have decided not to write a detailed history anymore, since there is already a huge amount of information on this topic on the internet. Instead a few links with more information about Gambian history:
We have decided not to write a detailed history anymore, since there is already a huge amount of information on this topic on the internet. Instead a few links with more information about Gambian history:
The Gambia has a subtropical climate, with two main seasons, the dry season from the middel of September to the end of May and the rain season from June to the middle of September. The humidity is much higher in the rain season and there many short, but fierce showers, mainly late in the afternoon or at night.
More information at Access Gambia Web Directory.
Due to the subtropical climate, The Gambia has a very diverse vegetation, the mangrove forests being the most impressive since they can survive the salty waters of the river Gambia. Gambia has no big wildlife, except maybe for some hippo's in the eastern parts, but there are almost 450 birdspecies, making it an attractive destiny for birdwatchers. There are also several sorts of monkeys throughout the country.
More information on the flora and fauna of The Gambia can be found at fao.org and earthtrends.wri.org.
Banjul
© Teije and Elisabeth 2000 - 2012
Travel through Europe and Africa
with Elisabeth and Teije