34 W

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 11,300 sq km
land: 10,000 sq km
water: 1,300 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Delaware

Land boundaries:
total: 740 km
border countries: Senegal 740 km

Coastline:
80 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: not specified

Climate:
tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season
(November to May)

Terrain:
flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 53 m

Natural resources:
fish, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon, silica sand,
clay, petroleum

Land use:
arable land: 27.88%
permanent crops: 0.44%
other: 71.68% (2005)

Irrigated land:
20 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years)

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases prevalent

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the continent of
Africa

People Gambia, The

Population:
1,641,564 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.3% (male 365,157/female 361,821)
15-64 years: 53% (male 431,627/female 438,159)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 22,889/female 21,911) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.7 years
male: 17.6 years
female: 17.8 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.84% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
39.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
12.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
1.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 71.58 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 78.06 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 64.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy