|
| Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
|
| Geographic coordinates: |
14 00 N, 14 00 W
|
| Area: |
total:
196,190 sq km
land:
192,000 sq km
water:
4,190 sq km
|
| Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than South Dakota
|
| Land boundaries: |
total:
2,640 km
border countries:
The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
|
| Maritime claims: |
contiguous zone:
24 NM
continental shelf:
200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM
territorial sea:
12 NM
|
| Climate: |
tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind
|
| Terrain: |
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
|
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m
|
| Natural resources: |
fish, phosphates, iron ore
|
| Land use: |
arable land:
12%
permanent crops:
0%
permanent pastures:
16%
forests and woodland:
54%
other:
18% (1993 est.)
|
| Irrigated land: |
710 sq km (1993 est.)
|
| Natural hazards: |
lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
|
| Environment - current issues: |
wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing
|
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Marine Dumping
|
| Geography - note: |
The Gambia is almost an enclave of Senegal
|
|
|
|
