According to estatelearning, Gambia is located in West Africa, bordered by Senegal to the north, south and east. The total land area of Gambia is 11,295 square kilometers with a coastline stretching for 80 kilometers. The terrain consists mostly of low-lying plains with some hills and rivers in the interior. The climate is tropical with hot and humid summers and mild winters. Gambia experiences two distinct seasons: a wet season from June to October and a dry season from November to May.
1963-65 Independence
The country’s colonial status continued unchanged throughout the first half of the 20th century. It was not until 1963 that the land from the colonial power gained some form of administrative autonomy. This happened in the context of the decolonization process that was initiated after World War II, and which through a large number of anti-colonial struggles in other parts of Africa and the rest of the world, many states had already gained their independence. Two years later, Gambia also gained its independence and became a member of the British Commonwealth. When the country gained its independence, it soon became clear that, because of its ethnic, cultural and economic composition, it did not constitute a nation in the true sense of the term. To see more information other than history, please visit Abbreviationfinder to learn more about climate, population, government, and economy for the country of Gambia.
The country’s economic and social structures remained unchanged after independence. The main export product remained peanuts, while the social structures remained so strong that they were written into the 1970 constitution, which gave 5 of the country’s chieftains a seat in parliament – without the normal elected representatives.
In the 1960s, veterinarian Dawda Jawara founded the People’s Progressive Party (Peoples Progressive Party, PPP), and came to dominate the country’s politics throughout the decade. He won the election in 1962 but did not exercise government power due to a vote of no confidence from the opposition. He once again won the 1970 election when the country declared itself a republic and introduced presidential rule.
The African American author Alex Haley’s 1975 book Roots (Roots) helped to develop the country into an important tourist country, but at the same time increased drug use and prostitution. It was an essential part of the background for the development of an organized Islamic opposition.
- Countryaah: Check to see the location of Gambia on the world map. Also covers major mountains, rivers and lakes in Gambia.
Due. The sparse monitoring of its borders has made Gambia an important transit country for smuggling goods from West Africa. Through the port of Banjul, a significant portion of Senegal’s imports and agricultural exports pass through illegally. The close economic ties led Sir Dawda Jawara’s government to accept a project for union with Senegal as early as 1973
In July 1981, Islamic opposers attempted to overthrow Jawara, with the aim of deploying a revolutionary Islamic regime and ending government corruption. The uprising was turned down by troops from Senegal who, at the request of President Dawda, invaded the country. He himself was at that time in London.
Throughout the 1980s, the economy deteriorated. The drought led to a decline in exports of agricultural products; unemployment increased; migration from rural areas increased, and the country became increasingly dependent on foreign loans to finance food imports.