Gambia:
Gambia is a narrow strip of land wedged into the middle of Senegal and extending to the Atlantic coast. Eighty per cent of the people are poor subsistence farmers. In the city, the living standard is a lot higher, and there are some major tourist resorts on the coast, visited by European sun seekers. Crime levels are lower than in most other African countries, but the literacy rate is low. Two per cent of the land is environmentally protected, and there's an awareness that increasing tourism on the coast could ruin the natural environment and deplete fish stocks. Also, the tourist trade is ruining the traditional lifestyles of the fishermen and farmers. Politically, Gambia is quite stable, with Dawda Jawara being reelected four times. However, in January 2000, the presidentail guard plotted a coup. There was a shootout near the presidential palace, and the coup was foiled.
This page last updated January 20, 2000.