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ECONOMY
Gambia has very little agricultural produce and little or no mineral wealth and other natural resources. The population mostly thrives on crops and livestock. Small scale industries include processing of peanuts, fish and hides.
A big chunk of economic activity is the reexport trade , but a 1999 government-imposed preshipment inspection plan, and instability of the Gambian dalasi (currency) have cut down on some of the reexport trade from Banjul. In 1998 the government seized the private peanut firm Alimenta which resulted in the elimination of the largest purchaser of Gambian groundnuts with drastic cuts in sales and prices in the subsequent marketing seasons. The tourism sector has also not thrived in 2000 resulting in poor growth. To add to this, unemployment and underemployment rates are very high. Shortrun economic progress remains highly dependent on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on responsible government economic management as forwarded by IMF technical help and advice, and on expected growth in the construction sector. Record crops undergirded sturdy growth in 2001. |
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Capital: Banjul
Area: 11 300 km²
Population: 1 141 000
Currency: 1 US$ = 10.6 Dalasi
GDP: 160/939$
HDI : 165/281
Languages: English, Wolof, Malinke, Fulani, Mandika
Ethnic groups: Mandigo 42%, Fulani 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%
Religions: Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, Animist 1%
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