ACOG - Gambia  - IBM

Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal

Area:
total area: 11,300 sq km
land area: 10,000 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Delaware

Land boundaries: total 740 km, Senegal 740 km

Coastline: 80 km


People

Population: 989,273 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 47% (female 231,636; male 231,053)
15-64 years: 51% (female 257,329; male 244,947)
65 years and over: 2% (female 11,850; male 12,458)

Population growth rate: 3.08% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 45.97 births/1,000 population

Death rate: 15.19 deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Infant mortality rate: 120.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 50.55 years
male: 48.25 years
female: 52.92 years

Total fertility rate: 6.23 children born/woman

Ethnic divisions: African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli9%, other 4%), non-Gambian 1%

Religions: Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1%

Languages: English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population: 27%
male: 39%
female: 16%


Government

Names:
conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia
conventional short form: The Gambia

Type: republic under multiparty democratic rule

Capital: Banjul

Independence: 18 February 1965 (from UK; The Gambia and Senegal signed an agreementon 12 December 1981 that called for the creation of a loose confederationto be known as Senegambia, but the agreement was dissolved on 30 September1989)

Constitution: 24 April 1970


Economy

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1 billion

National product real growth rate:

National product per capita: $1,050

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5%

Unemployment rate:

Electricity:
capacity: 30,000 kW
production: 70 million kWh
consumption per capita: 64 kWh



Olympic Factoid
The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts.