Gambia

The republic of Gambia lies in West Africa and is with the area of app. 11.300 km²the smallest state in Africa. Gambia is 300 km long, only 35 km wide characterized geographically by the course of the Gambia river. The river divides the country into a northern and southern region.

In the west the Gambia river flows into the Atlantic ocean, the rest of Gambia is surrounded by the state Senegal.

Gambia lies in the Sahel region and has a tropical climate. Alongside the fresh water of the river the land is densely wooded, at the estuary of the Atlantic the salt water region are the mangrove woods. Away from the watercourse there are dry grasslands and open savannah. Gambia is primarily agricultural land of which 90% of its export earnings are achieved through the cultivation of peanuts followed by foreign exchange earner, the tourism.

The rainy season starts at the end of June until the end of September. The most comfortable climate is the time from November until February, the time when most of the tourists come.

1,5 million people live in the former British colony, the biggest cities are Serekunda, Brikama and the capitol Banjul.

The inhabitants belong to different tribal groups with different languages for ex. Mandinka, Fula, Jola or Wolof. The official language is English. The Islam is the dominant religion in Gambia, approximately 90% of the population is Muslim next to Christian and other traditional religions.