Gambia - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Gambia. Almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the African mainland. Mother's mean age at first birth is 20.7 years (2019/20 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 458 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Geographical data of Gambia
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates | 13 28 N, 16 34 W |
| Map references | Africa |
| Tarrain | flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills |
| Natural Resources | fish, clay, silica sand, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon |
| Natural Hazards | droughts |
| Irrigated Land | 50 sq km (2012) |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | Gambia river mouth (shared with Senegal and Guinea [s]) - 1,094 km note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth |
| Major aquifers | Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin |
| Land Boundaries | 749 km |
| Border Countries | Senegal 749 km |
| Coastline | 80 km |
| Climate | tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May) |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 10,120 sq km |
| Water Area | 1,180 sq km |
| comparative Area | slightly less than twice the size of Delaware |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm |
| Contiguous zone | 18 nm |
| Continental shelf | extent not specified |
| Exclusive fishing zone | 200 nm |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | unnamed elevation 63 m; 3 km southeast of the town of Sabi |
| Lowest point | Atlantic Ocean 0 m |
| Mean elevation | 34 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 62.6% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 43.5% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 0.7% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 18.5% (2022 est.) |
| Forest | 22.8% (2022 est.) |
| Other | 14.5% (2022 est.) |
Population Distribution
Settlements are found scattered along the Gambia River; the largest communities, including the capital of Banjul, and the country's largest city, Serekunda, are found at the mouth of the Gambia River along the Atlantic coast as shown in this population distribution map
People and Society
In Gambia, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Mandinka/Jahanka 33.3%, Fulani/Tukulur/Lorobo 18.2%, Wolof 12.9%, Jola/Karoninka 11%, Serahuleh 7.2%, Serer 3.5%, other 4%, non-Gambian 9.9% (2019-20 est.)
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | 2.16% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 27.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | 3.2% of GDP (2021) |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | 1.1 beds/1,000 population (2011) |
| Total fertility rate | 3.52 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 1.74 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 18.9% (2019/20) |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 60.9% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Education expenditures | 2.8% of GDP (2020 est.) |
| Net Migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Gambian | Gambian(s) |
| Languages | English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars |
| Religions | Muslim 96.4%, Christian 3.5%, other or none 0.1% (2019-20 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 38.2% (male 486,472/female 477,309) |
| 15-64 years | 58.1% (male 723,360/female 743,127) |
| 65 years and over | 3.7% (2024 est.) (male 40,658/female 52,401) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 85 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 80.5 |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 4.5 |
| Potential support ratio | 22.2 (2021 est.) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 20.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 19.8 years |
| Female | 20.6 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 64.5% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 3.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | 481,000 BANJUL (capital) (2023). note: includes the local government areas of Banjul and Kanifing |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.03 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.02 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.97 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.78 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 35.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 39.1 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 32.2 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 68.4 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 66.7 years |
| Female | 70.1 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 91.8% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 85.7% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 89.5% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 8.2% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 14.3% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 10.5% of population (2020 est.) |
| Sanitation facility acess | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 75.8% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 33.6% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 60% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 24.2% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 66.4% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 40% of population (2020 est.) |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 2.67 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 2.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Tobacco use | |
| Total | 11.1% (2020 est.) |
| Male | 21.4% (2020 est.) |
| Female | 0.8% (2020 est.) |
| Child marriage | |
| Women married by age 15 | 5.6% |
| Women married by age 18 | 23.1% |
| Men married by age 18 | 0.2% (2020 est.) |
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Gambia
Want to know more about Gambia? Check all different factbooks for Gambia below.
