Map of the Gambia
Location of the Gambia (in circle)
Enlargeable, detailed map of the Gambia
Satellite image of The Gambia
The Gambia is a very small and narrow
African country with the border based on the
Gambia River . The country is less than 48 kilometres (30 mi) wide at its greatest width. The country's present boundaries were defined in 1889 after an agreement between the United Kingdom and France. It is often claimed by Gambians that the distance of the borders from the Gambia River corresponds to the area that British naval cannon of the time could reach from the river's channel. However, there is no historical evidence to support the story, and the border was actually delineated using careful surveying methods by the Franco-British boundary commission.
[1]
[2] The Gambia is almost an
enclave of
Senegal and is the
smallest country on mainland Africa.
Terrain
The grassy flood plain of the Gambia river contains
Guinean mangroves near the coast, and becomes
West Sudanian savanna upriver inland.
Statistics
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North
Atlantic Ocean and
Senegal
Geographic coordinates :
13°28′N 16°34′W / 13.467°N 16.567°W / 13.467; -16.567
Area:
total: 11,295 km2
land: 10,000 km2
water: 1,295 km2
comparative: slightly less than
Jamaica ; slightly less than twice the size of
Delaware
Land boundaries:
total: 749 km
border countries: Senegal 749 km
Coastline: 80 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
contiguous zone: 18
nmi (33.3 km; 20.7 mi)
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
continental shelf: extent not specified
Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May)
Terrain:
floodplain of the
Gambia River , flanked by low hills
Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: fish, clay, silica sand, titanium (
rutile and
ilmenite ),
tin ,
zircon
Land use:
arable land: 43.48%
permanent crops: 0.49%
other: 56.03% (2011)
Irrigated land: 50 km2 (2011)
Total renewable water resources: 8 km3 (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 0.09 km3 /yr (41%/21%/39%) per capita: 65.77 m3 /yr (2005)
Current issues:
deforestation ,
desertification , prevalence of water-borne diseases, drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years)
Environment - party to international agreements on:
biodiversity ,
climate change ,
Kyoto Protocol , desertification,
endangered species , hazardous wastes,
law of the sea ,
ozone layer protection, ship pollution,
wetland ,
whaling
Extreme points
This is a list of the extreme points of the Gambia, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
Gallery
See also
References
This article incorporates
public domain material from
The World Factbook .
CIA .
Notes
^ Donald R. Wright (2004). The World and a Very Small Place: A History of Globalization in Niumi, The Gambia (New York: M.E. Sharp) p. 151–152.
^ Craig Emms and Linda Barnett (2001). Bradt Travel Guide for The Gambia (Chalford, UK: Bradt Travel Guides).
^
Global Environment Facility ,
United Nations Environment Programme (eds.):
The Gambia’s Second National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [
permanent dead link ] . Banjul, November 2012, p. 32.
^
The World Factbook :
The Gambia . Chapter Geography and
map .
^ On a 1966 map, two points close to
Jah Kunda and
Nyamanari are indicated with 174 feet, thus 53 m. Source: West Africa, Joint Operations Graphic 1:250,000:
map ND 28-11 Tambacounda, Senegal (11MB). U.S.
National Imagery and Mapping Agency . Map data from 1966.
^
"Gambia High Point" . peakbagger.com . .
^ Malanding S. Jaiteh, Baboucarr Sarr:
Climate Change and Development in the Gambia: Challenges to Ecosystem Goods and Services , p. 1–3. Map based on: The Gambia 50,000 database 2003 topographic data. Department of Local Government and Lands.
Sovereign states States with limited recognition
Dependencies and other territories
Sovereign states States with limited recognition
Dependencies and other territories