Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland Africa and is surrounded by Senegal, except for its western coast on the Atlantic Ocean
Though Abidjan is the largest city and administrative capital of Cote d’Ivoire, Yamoussoukro is the legislative, official capital of the country. Colonized by the French, the official language and currency of the country is French, and the CFA franc, respectively. Its neighbours are Ghana to the east, Burkina Faso to the northeast, Mali to the north, Guinea to the northwest, Liberia to the west and a southerly facing the North Atlantic Ocean coast on the Gulf of Guinea to the south. Cote d’Ivoire is on the coordinates of latitude 8o north of the Equator and longitude 50 west of Greenwich Meridian. It became independent of France on 7 August 1960.
Côte d’Ivoire was originally made up of numerous isolated settlements; today it represents more than sixty distinct tribes, including the Baoule, Bete, Senoufou, Agni, Malinke, Dan, and Lobi. A summary data of the current representation of ethnic groups shows – Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques (Gur) 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000 Lebanese and 14,000 French).
The Kiang West National Park (KWNP) was gazetted by the Government of The Gambia in 1987. With approximately 11,000 hectares, KWNP is Gambia’s largest park. Within the boundaries can be found almost all The Gambia’s geographical variances: mangroves, salt bats, partially closed canopy forests, laterite extrusions and Bolong tributaries. In addition, over 300 species of birds make their home there. The KWNP has been developed for international guests, tourists, government agencies and school children as well as other visitors.
This is Gambia’s oldest protected area. It is near the holiday resorts on the Atlantic Coast and is a great tourist attraction. The reserve protects a large tract of gallery forest and is particularly noted for its bird and monkey populations you can also see lions, hyenas, and crocodiles here.
A tropical paradise lodge set on the meandering riverbanks of MacCarthy Island in The Gambia. Deep in the African bush, this idyllic location provides a perfect base for the discerning traveller who is seeking a genuine experience, away from the crowded beach resorts.
A sacred pool in Gambia’s tourist town of Bakau has become a major attraction for foreign visitors to the West African country. The pool, discovered hundreds of years ago by the natives of Bakau some 14km (8 miles) from the capital Banjul, is home to more than 100 crocodiles.
Home to some of the most talented wood carvers in the country, this craft market offers a wonderful selection of woodcarvings and souvenirs that can be bought at a reasonable price. You even get to see some of the craftsmen at work sometimes.
These are the famed stone circles of West Africa. They consist of rings up to eight metres in diameter of 10 to 24 rounded, reddish-brown, laterite pillars, from one to two-and-a-half metres in height. The Stone Circles have now been identified as burial grounds more than 1,200 years old. Made of hewn laterite, there are scores of these sites dotting the landscape.
A town in The Gambia that is popular with tourists, lying 30 km inland on the north bank of the River Gambia in the North Bank Division. It is said to be where Alex Haley’s novel, Roots: The Saga of an American Family, is set. It is home to a museum and lies near James Island. A family claiming to be the descendants of Kunta Kinte still resides here.
This 28-year-old village of 300 people is set in beautiful surroundings. Stay in one of five traditional African style houses, each individually designed by a family in the village. They are the Jola people with a strong sense of community spirit. The village is almost totally self-sufficient and sells excess produce. The huts are in a camp just outside the village next to the Kafuta Bolong.
A collection of 5 islands that are located on the river in the Central River Division, roughly 300 kilometers upstream to the south west of Kuntaur and downstream from Janjangbureh, Georgetown, make up the national park, which was founded in 1978. The five islands, together known as Baboon Islands, have a relatively flat surface area of about 1,445 acres (585 ha). It serves as one of The Gambia's last remaining safe havens for the critically endangered hippopotamus. It also has a chimp rehabilitation facility and a lot of crocodiles. Their diverse natural systems include mangrove swamps, reed beds, savannah, and luxuriant Amazon rainforest.
The Niumi National Park is a protected marine delta in The Gambia's North Bank Region of the Lower Niumi District. The delta encompasses the northern section of the River Gambia, the southern section of Senegal's Saloum Delta National Park, and a local area of 4,900 hectares (49 square kilometres). Dolphins, hyenas, manatees, butterflies, leopards, egrets, tilapia, antelopes, and lizards are among the fauna found in the nature reserve, which also includes a large section of the Atlantic Ocean. The delta's southern tip, 7 nautical miles from Banjul, begins at Fort Bullen, just outside Barra town, and extends north and east all the way to the Gambia's border with Senegal, with a 15-kilometer coastal stretch. It is contiguous with the Parc National du Delta du Saloum to the north, just after the border. The Massarinko Bolon, a creek bordered by a large expanse of mangroves dominated by laterite boulder escarpments, is located near the park's centre.
Exciting photos of this great destination
The activity benefited from support from the Umbrella Facility for Trade trust fund financed by the governments of the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.