The Gambia
GEOGRAPHY
Location: Western Africa bordering Senegal and the North Atlantic Ocean
Area: 11,295 sq km; slightly less than twice the size of Delaware (CIA)
PEOPLE & SOCIETY
Population: estimated at 1.8 million making it the smallest country in mainland Africa (UN, 2012)
Major languages: English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula
Major religions: 90% Muslim, 8% Christian, 2% indigenous beliefs
Ethnicities: five main groups being Mandinka, Fula, Wolof, Serahule and Diola
Life expectancy: 62 years (men), 66 years (women) (2014 est, CIA)
UN Human Development Index: 165 out of 187 nations, below the average in Sub-Saharan Africa
Poverty: 48.4% (2010) [CIA]
Literacy: 58% of men, 36% of women [estimates by UNESCO Institute for Statistics] Levels are lowest in the URR where the female literacy rate is 14% [Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey MICS]
School Life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total = 9 years (2008, CIA)
Child labor (children ages 5-14): 25% (2006 est, CIA)
Female Genital Cutting (FGC): estimated that between 60% and 90% of the total female populations has undergone some form of the cutting, with the highest proportion of women with a least one daughter who have been cut found in the Upper River Region (URR) [MICS]
ECONOMY
"... few natural resources and is highly dependent on peanut exports" [BCC]
"About three-quarters of the population depends on the agricultural sector for its livelihood and the sector provides for about one-fifth of GDP. The agricultural sector has untapped potential - less than half of arable land is cultivated... Tourism brings in about one-fifth of GDP... Unemployment and underemployment rates remain high." [CIA]
GOVERNMENT
Capital: Banjul
Government type: republic*
Legal System: mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law [CIA]
"Politics: The Gambia has been relatively stable under the iron-fisted rule of Yahya Jammeh, who
came to power in a bloodless coup in 1994" [BCC]
*Everyone I've spoken to when asked when asked "What type of government does The Gambia has?" responds "A democracy."
Basse Santa Su (aka Basse)
Location: Easternmost town in the Gambia in the Upper River Region (URR)
Population: <20,000 ppl
Area: Takes not more than 30 minutes to walk to walk the length of the main, mostly paved road that goes through town
Known for: It's market and as an important transit point for merchandise going to eastern Senegal, Mali and Guinea
Temperature: I didn't know I could sweat this much
Infrastructure:
Roads & Buildlings: The only road that is paved, well paved and bricked in parts is the main road that goes through town otherwise the rest are all sand. All of the buildings that I know of are only one or two stories tall maximum, except for one apartment building on my street which only has one or two apartments per floor is three stories tall.
Electricity: Run on generators. My house only gets power for a few hours a day… if I'm lucky. It may come on in the morning around nine or ten for 1-3 hours and then again around 8 or 10pm and go until midnight or 2am at the latest. This means: No refrigeration. Everything I cook I have to eat, give to a neighbor or throw away. Food can never be kept in the fridge. There's no milk (besides fresh goat's milk, powered and condensced milk), yogurt, cheese (besides the processed triangle non-refridergated cheese packages) or any other dairy product or delicious ice cream here.
Air Coniditioning: The only places I know to have AC aka room air conditioning units (ductless split-type, not central air) are the Tostan office (only runs when the town has power), the banks, one room in the police station, and the Peace Corps Station House on the edge of town. Our office also has solar which besides awesome means pretty decent wifi and almost every extension plug being taken by people trying to charge their phones.
Commercial Centre: The town has banks though no ATMs, a police station, post office (the one time I went they had no stamps, told me they would maybe get them in the next week and referred me to the post office in another town), petrol station, two pharmacies, taxi/bus station and a central Mosque. The shops that line the roads are filled with housewares and metal pots, fabrics, DVDs, tailors and imported goods such as radios, mobile phones, and bicycles. The streets are filled with pedistrians, motorists, bicyclists, goats, sheep, donkey carts, cars, lorries and the occasional stray dog. Women line the road-side selling mangoes (currently in season) or other fruits (bananas, oranges, apples), cookies, peanuts, or sometimes, mostly in the evening cooked food. [Access Gambia]
Entertainment: Can rent an Indian or Nigerian film from a local shop. No dance clubs. Only two bars in town, another on the edge of town (nobody drinks; 90% Muslim country). Sometimes a program (pop up DJ) will come [haven't gone yet]. Always the option of crashing a street celebration- baby naming ceremony or wedding- if you hear the drumming and singing [lots of fun, went to one].
Food: Oil with a side of carbs- bread, rice, and spaghetti to be exact.
A typical meal is eaten together around one giant bowl usually with your hand (right hand to be exact) unless spoons are available. The dish is always rice with some type of sauce that's either oil or nut-based with fish, meat, or chicken and if lucky, a few pieces of vegetables.
Freshly baked baguettes, 6-14 dalasi (15-40 cents) depending on the size, are readily available at almost every shop making it in my opinion the most convenient snack especially when there's butter (an extra 3 dalasi, less than 1 cent), mayo or local unrefridgerated butter is also always an option. Most shops also sell hard boiled eggs. I've been told they're kind of stinky so I tend to stay away and just make my own.
A plate of beans is also a very popular dish and a favorite of mine as a vegetarian. My other options consist of omelets (which are almost quite literally deep fried in oil), boiled potato (usually an addition to a plate of beans), or a sandwich with an omelet, beans or potato in it. Vegetables available at the small restaurant to add to an omelet or sandwich consist of onion, tomato, and cucumber.
Spaghetti is also readily available as a dinner dish typically served with fried chicken or beans on top in my case. For 100 dalasi ($2.50) you can get a plate of a few pieces of fried chicken on top of spaghetti with a few chips (french fries) and maybe some beans, a few vegetables thrown in there (onion/tom/cuc) with a dollop of mayo and piece of bread.
Statistics and Information from: CIA, BCC, Access Gambia.
For more statistics check out UNICEF's page here.
