Social conditions
The Gambia, even by African dimensions, is a very poor country. Visit AbbreviationFinder to see the definitions of WAG and acronym for Gambia. About half of the population lives in poverty (under US $ 2 per day). However, nine out of ten Gambians have access to clean water, even in the countryside. The average life expectancy is 57 years for men and 60 years for women (2011). Of 1,000 born children, nearly 70 die during their first year of life.
The state of health is poor, and a large proportion of the population is affected by dysentery, malaria, schistosomiasis and tuberculosis. About 2% of the population aged 15-49 is estimated to be affected by HIV/AIDS. The Gambia has a large shortage of care places and trained medical staff; there are eleven hospital beds (2009) and fewer than one doctor (2008) per 10,000 residents. Qualified personnel are available for just over half of the births. In 2009, healthcare accounted for 12% of public spending.
The Gambia has a long way to go for gender equality. Only 7.5% of MEPs are women. However, girls and boys participate equally in school education (primary and secondary school). The authorities oppose genital mutilation (female circumcision), but the practice is not prohibited by law and is still common practice.
Homosexuality is prohibited and homosexuals have on numerous occasions been exposed to threats from leading politicians in the country. Check to see Gambia population.
Gambia Geopolitics
The Gambia is a state in sub-Saharan Africa, the smallest by extension of the entire continent. Following the territorial agreements between France and the United Kingdom of 1889, the country’s borders developed along the river of the same name, starting from the Atlantic mouth and along an increasingly narrow strip of territory towards the interior. Although overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Gambia, in fact, looks like an enclave Anglophone within Francophone Senegal. Current president Yahya Jammeh, head of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (Aprc), took power in 1994 in a coup and in the same year he proclaimed himself head of state. In 1996, following pressure from the international community, presidential elections were held by universal suffrage. However, the election results, which confirmed the leadership of Jammeh, were criticized for suspected manipulation of the vote. After the elections, the country faced a series of internal revolts, often repressed, and lived in a climate of intimidation of opposition supporters and general corruption of the ruling class. Over the years Jammeh has managed to maintain control of the state apparatus thanks above all to the support of the army, of which he is commander in chief, and of the national secret services. In 2012, Gambian exiles created a parallel government in Dakar, the National Transitional Council of the Gambia (NTCG). Given the particular geographical condition that binds the two countries, relations with Senegal are volatile and are mainly articulated around illegal cross-border trade, in both directions, the Gambia’s alleged support for an independence group based in Casamance, a region of Senegal separated from the rest of the country by the Gambia itself, and the Gambia’s accusation of Senegal of providing hospitality to dissidents. In 2010, despite the controversies affecting them, the two countries entered into agreements to build a common bridge over the Gambia River. The Gambia maintains solid relations with the region’s historic allies: Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The capital Banjul is home to one of the four branches of the Economic Community of West African Countries (Ecowas). President Jammeh has established political and economic ties with Cuba, Iran and Venezuela, countries which are openly antagonistic to the United States. This position has been adopted in recent years, following the US decision, which dates back to 2006, not to send economic aid to the African country. Jammeh’s violent regime has been tolerated by Western states in the name of fighting international drug trafficking, however the African Union (Au) and the United Nations have recently sanctioned the summary executions of opponents that the Gambian government has committed responsible. In October 2013, The Gambia left the Commonwealth, due to alleged British and Western meddling in the country’s affairs. The Gambia’s economy is underdeveloped and around 48.4% of the population lives below the poverty line. The growth rate of 7.4% of GDP in 2014 mostly records the economic recovery after the severe crisis of 2011. Agriculture is one of the most important sectors of employment, employing about 75% of the population. particularly in the cultivation of peanuts. However, it is the tertiary sector that contributes the most to national GDP (66.8%). In particular, tourism, concentrated on the coastal strip, is a secure source of income, although the unstable internal situation does not favor its greater development. Among the trading partners, China and India stand out, absorbing about 47% of the country’s exports.