Gambia

In Senegal at the end of West Africa , the republic meets when you go out along the Gambia River .

The capital is Banjul , formerly called Bathurst , but the area is small, about the size of one district in Korea, and the largest city is Serekunda , near Banjul . In a broad sense, Serekunda is also an urban area like Banjul City.

As is well known, the country is famous for being along the Gambia River, but compared to that, there are not many bridges between the rivers. There is a bridge between Farafeni and Soma about halfway between east and west of the national highway.

It is easy to be confused with Zambia in South Africa because its name is similar, but it is a completely different country. Coincidentally, the names of the countries are similar, and the two countries are actually geographically far apart, and the country located above Zimbabwe is Zambia.

It is one of four West African countries (Gambia, Sierra Leone , Ghana , and Nigeria ) that were colonies of the British Empire . As a result, these countries, including Gambia, designated English as their official language.

It is the country with the lowest peak among the countries on the continent. The highest, Sare Bidsou Hill, is only 46 meters high, which is lower than the Vatican Hill in Vatican City .

The national name is derived from the Gambia River, which means muddy water.

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Originally, this region was part of the Mali Empire and the Songhai Empire, but starting in the 16th century , European powers, starting with Portugal , built forts and trading posts here and there along the Senegal / Gambia rivers and beaches and began competing for trade rights in the region. In 1677, France took control of the region by expelling the Netherlands from Senegal. Afterwards, France and Britain competed for hegemony in the region, until 1758. During the Seven Years' War, Britain succeeded in taking control of all major trade routes by occupying all French settlements in Senegal. But in 1783 As a result of Britain's defeat in the American War of Independence , France took possession of everything except the settlements along the Gambia River, which originally belonged to Britain.[4][5]

In 1821 , Britain designated this area as its colonial protectorate, but by the 19th century , Britain could no longer do anything in Gambia, which was already surrounded by French Senegal, and France steadily expanded French Senegal by taking control of surrounding territories. Ultimately, in 1889, clear colonial border negotiations were concluded between Britain and France, beyond the vague distinction between existing settlements and their areas of influence, and this became the current Senegal-Gambia border. Meanwhile, Britain, which banned the slave trade in the early 19th century, fought against American slave traders in this area and settled slaves who were about to be sold to the United States in this area, and they became the ancestors of today's Gambians.

Because of this history, the Gambia, along with Ghana , Sierra Leone , and Nigeria , is one of the few West African countries that were under British colonial rule in West Africa, which was mostly French colonies.

In fact, this region has no cultural or ethnic differences from Senegal, including language. And Gambia, along with Senegal, was historically part of the Jollof Kingdom , which was located in Gambia, Senegal, and Guinea and was destroyed by the Fula people. Later, during the invasion of African colonies by European powers, Senegal became a French colony, and Gambia became a British colony, dividing them into separate countries.

Because of this history, there is a narrow and long territory along the Gambia river in the Senegal country, and it is buried in Senegal's land.

The first president, Daoudah Zawara , was on the verge of being overthrown in a coup d'état in 1981 , but was able to preserve his position through Senegal's intervention and remained in power until 1994. Although it was ethnically identical, it planned to unify the country with Senegal , which was independently independent, by forming the Senegambia Union from 1982 to 1989 , but due to various problems, including differences in the official language, the union was disbanded rather than unification.[6] Fortunately, we maintain friendly relations with each other without war, territorial or border disputes.

Jawara, who had been in power for a long time, failed to gain public support due to corruption, and in 1994, a young army lieutenant Yahya Jammeh staged a coup and took power.

Yahya Jammi won a third term in 2006 with overwhelming support. However, he was criticized for guaranteeing democracy and freedom. In February 2010, he also expelled UNICEF's Korean representative, Kang Min-hui, for no particular reason. In addition, when a relative of the president died, a witch hunt occurred, blaming it for evil witchcraft. related articles

In November 2010, there were reports that President Yahya Jammi was about to become king, but there was no related trend after the related article . In the same month, he severed diplomatic relations with Iran. Related articles Because of its position against religious extremism, even though there are many Muslims, it has even expelled Islamic groups with a tendency to terrorism. He managed to win a fourth term in 2011. In 2012, his execution was resumed after 27 years. In 2013, he left the Commonwealth, citing it as a remnant of colonialism.

For 13 months, the name of the country was ' Islamic Republic of Gambia'. On December 12, 2015, Jammi declared "The Gambia is the Almighty It is in the hands of Allah , and as of today we have become an Islamic State . ” However, Jammi declared that it would be an Islamic country but would respect other religions, so there was no oppression of other religions even though it was an Islamic country, and in addition, it did not adopt Sharia, but Islamic rules, dress, and missions . Since there was no coercion, the Gambia actually belonged to a secular state at the time , and as the Jammi government was overthrown, the national name returned to 'Republic of the Gambia' on January 29, 2017.

On December 2, 2016, an unexpected event occurred when President Jammi, who was running for a fifth term, lost the election. According to the initial vote count of the election, President Jammi is likely to lose to candidate Adama Barrow, who received 40% of the votes and 44%, and President Jammi acknowledged defeat. # However, as he announced that he would hold a re-election while disobeying the election, he is receiving criticism from the international community and domestically. # On December 14, soldiers supporting Jammi blocked access to the National Election Commission and deployed military and police on the streets, showing signs of prolongation of the situation as they showed signs of continuing the dictatorship. As a result, frustrated and angry Gambians are continuing online protests criticizing Jammi through YouTube and social media. On January 17, 2017, President Jammi declared a 90-day state of emergency, causing further chaos in the Gambian political situation and forcing four Gambian ministers to resign and flee to Senegal. # Moreover, on January 18, Gambia's parliament decided to extend Jammi's term by three months, just hours before the president left office. #

However, when the coalition forces of the surrounding West African countries issued an ultimatum that they would resolve the issue through military intervention if Jammi did not step down, Jammi chose to go into exile abroad. Jammi plans to go into exile abroad immediately after stepping down on January 20. # However, reports emerged that Jammi had embezzled the national treasury while defecting to Guinea. #

On February 15, 2017, it rejoined the Commonwealth from which it had withdrawn. # The Gambia's new government has officially announced that the former president of Jammi has embezzled more than $50 million from the treasury. #

In the National Assembly election held on April 6, 2017, the ruling party to which President Barrow belonged won 31 out of 53 seats in the National Assembly, achieving a complete change of government. However, in reality, it is safe to say that the four political parties that were in a coalition with the ruling party won 16 of the remaining 22 seats, effectively sweeping them all. However, it remains to be seen whether they will continue to remain the right party or whether they will come into conflict with the ruling party.

In early 2018, former Interior Minister Songko stood before a Swiss court, accused of masterminding the dictatorship's crimes against humanity. # And there were also allegations that former President Yahya Jammi had committed sexual assault while in office. #

On December 4, 2021, the Gambian electoral commission approved the re-election of President Barrow, but the opposition party argued that the election was fraudulent. # The ruling party won the general election held on April 9, 2022, but failed to secure a majority. #

After independence, there was a dictatorship in Jawara, but it was overthrown due to a coup by Yahya Jammi. After the coup, Yahya Jammi has been in power since 1994, but was defeated in the 2016 presidential election and stepped down from the presidency.

As a side note, during the 2021 presidential election, people voted with beads due to the high illiteracy rate. #

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GDP per capita is only 989 $ in 2024, and is poorer than Guinea Bisou , Togo , and Chad . 48% of the population is a farming country where farming and livestock are concentrated on farming, and as there are no minerals and natural resources in the country, it is difficult to develop proper economic development .

The main industry other than agriculture is tourism , and as of 2019, 20.8% of Gambia's GDP was generated from tourism. Therefore, as overseas tourism was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it suffered a major economic blow. Because it is relatively close to Western Europe and is an English-speaking country, mainly British tourists visit the Gambia during the dry season, and most of them visit the Gambia on group tours and stay at resorts located on the Atlantic coast. Meanwhile, eco-tourism is also carried out along the Gambia River, which has many wetlands with high ecological value. #

The good news is that, like Togo , the per capita GDP is very low and the country is far from starvation. In fact, even at the integrated food security level (IPC scale) , about 91% of the population is classified as free from food security, and according to the 2018 UN report , According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), per capita calorie intake is 2,533 kcal (133rd out of 171 countries), which is higher than Cambodia , Pakistan , and even Moldova .

The currency is the dalasi , but due to the country's surrounding area being Senegal, the CFA franc/West African franc is also often used.

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Gambia's administrative districts are divided into eight local governments (Local Government Areas).

Banjul City and Kaniping City form the Greater Banjul Area, and the largest city, Serekunda, is also located in Kaniping City. In reality, the western part of Brikama region also belongs to the Banjul metropolitan area.

The Gambia's previous administrative divisions consisted of the city of Banjul and five divisions: the west coast, the north bank, the lower river, the middle river, and the upper river.

It only occupies the river basin, because during the European invasion of Africa, Britain occupied only the river basin, and then Senegal and Gambia became independent. When the border between the two countries was drawn up in 1889, Britain and France set the boundary line 10km north to south based on the navigable section of the Gambia River.

As mentioned above, because there are not many bridges crossing the river, the rest of the region, except for the easternmost Basse region, is bordered by the river.

Compared to other countries such as Guinea and Guinea-Bissau , the country is still doing better. At the time Jammi was in power, the country ranked only 62nd in the Fragile State Index, which was relatively(?) low in Africa. Unlike other countries, it is relatively stable politically and there is no confusion due to external intervention.

It is said that because of the high illiteracy rate , people vote with beads instead of using ballot papers in elections . Related article .

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The official language is English , but there are speakers of some minor languages ​​such as Wolof , Mandinka , and Sonningcare , and French is also used in part because the country is surrounded by Senegal. The Gambia is also a member of the Francophonie Observer.

Like neighboring Senegal, most of Gambia's residents believe in Islam . More than 90% of the people are Muslims , so even though it is classified as an Islamic country, it has not established a state religion . Additionally, there are Christianity and folk religions. Both Islamic and Christian holidays are public holidays.

Islam in Gambia, like Senegal, has been greatly influenced by shamanism and Sufism , and the influence of Sufism is strong. Religiously, Gambia is tolerant and has a strong secular tendency. However, during the time when former President Jammi was in power,[14] The name of Gambia was changed to 'Islamic Republic of Gambia' for 13 months. After Jammi stepped down, Gambia became the Republic again.

Gambia is famous for its long greetings. It is not a short greeting like 'Hello' in Korea or 'Hello' in English. In Gambia, when you meet someone, you start by saying 'Peace be with you', and the other person also says 'Peace be with you'. After that, we have conversations about our families, our financial problems, etc., and at the end we end with 'Okay, thank God'. It usually takes 1-2 minutes to say hello like this, but it can be as short as 30 seconds.

Also, in The Gambia, looking straight into the eyes of an adult means that there is no respect, so you shouldn't do that.

There is no specific amount, but in restaurants and hotels, foreigners often give tips out of habit, so employees who are familiar with this sometimes expect it.

Gambians consider it immodest for women to wear trousers, so Gambian women generally wear long skirts that do not show their legs, and while it is not widely criticized for foreign women to wear shorts, there is a negative perception.

The police number is 117, the fire department number is 118, and the emergency (ambulance) number is 116.

The economic structure is vulnerable because there is no industrial industry.

The deviance of European grandmothers was criminalized to the extent that the entire country was called a host bar .

If you only read the above line, it may sound like a crazy thing to suspect of vandalism , but in the 1980s, as European travel agencies began developing travel products to Gambia and a steady influx of tourists began, European women actively abetted the sexual deviance of Gambian men, forcing poor Gambian men to succumb to this temptation.

Through the 1990s and 2000s, many large travel agencies created and sold inexpensive package tours, and the number of tourists increased even more, and the alcohol and dating business that travel agencies did not provide became like an industry. During this time, there was an unfortunate incident in which the term 'bumster' was created to refer to men who were corrupted by the lewdness of European women and tried to make money through relationships, lovers, or anything else.

According to an academic research paper published in 2005, the unemployment rate among Gambian youth exceeds 30%, and even if you find a decent job, the monthly salary is about $80, so a job where you can earn more than $200 for just one night is bound to be attractive. #

In 2024, the company is trying to switch tourism marketing focus by significantly strengthening security in tourism development areas, but the effect is minimal.

As expected from an African country, soccer is popular , and during the 2005 Under-17 World Cup, the Gambian cheering squad was scheduled to arrive after the game, making it impossible to watch the game. Under the president's orders, a chartered plane falsely reported to the air traffic control tower that it had run out of fuel, so that they could arrive at the right time and watch the game, and made an emergency landing near the game venue to watch the game. Related articles

Also, at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Gambia lost 0-3 to first-place Mexico , but caused a stir by defeating Portugal 2-1 and advancing to the round of 16 as second place in the group. They were eliminated after losing 1-2 in the round of 16 to Austria, who advanced to the semifinals... In addition, they almost advanced to the final round of the 2010 South Africa World Cup regional qualifiers .

Meanwhile, as a soccer player well known to Koreans, there is Modu Barrow , who played for Swansea City in the EPL and also played for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors from 2020 to 2022 . At the end of the 2020 season, against the Ulsan Hyundai Football Club, which was competing for the championship with Jeonbuk, Ki-hee Kim 's back-heading mistake led to a goal, making him more famous. There is also Abdullai Gomez, who played for Pyeongtaek Citizen .

In the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Argentina was assigned to Group F, the same group as Korea, and won France and Honduras in the same group and drew with Korea in the third game , recording 7 points and advancing to the round of 16 as first place in the group. Their opponent in the round of 16 is Uruguay.

For information on this country's national team, see Gambia national football team section.

There are two universities in Gambia, one is the University of The Gambia (UTG) and the other is the American international university west africa.

UniRank[15] The standard UTG's world ranking is 10418th, and the American International University West Africa Campus is 10660th in the world ranking.

UTG is located in Serrekunda , while the American International University of West Africa campus is located in Banjul.

When ' Roots ' was first published in the United States , it was known that Kunta Kinte's hometown was Gambia, and it became famous nationally. UNESCO named after world heritage There is also the island of Kunta Kinte . It is the only two World Heritage sites in Gambia, and because the other was co-listed with Senegal, this island is the only World Heritage site in Gambia to be listed alone . Compared to neighboring Mauritania , the number of World Heritage Sites is rather small.