Geography
The Gambia
Area
land
10,120 sq km
water
1,180 sq km
total
11,300 sq km
Climate
tropical; characterized by a hot, rainy period from June to November, followed by a cooler, dry period from November to May
Terrain
the floodplain of the Gambia River, bordered by some low hills
Land use
other
15.4% (2023 est.)
forest
22% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
62.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 43.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 18.5% (2023 est.)
Location
located in Western Africa, adjacent to the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal
Coastline
80 km
Elevation
lowest point
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point
an unnamed elevation of 63 m, situated 3 km southeast of Sabi
mean elevation
34 m
Irrigated land
50 sq km (2012)
Major aquifers
Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
749 km
border countries
Senegal 749 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
18 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
extent not specified
exclusive fishing zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
droughts
Geography - note
almost entirely surrounded by Senegal; the smallest nation on the African mainland
Natural resources
resources include fish, clay, silica sand, titanium (in the forms of rutile and ilmenite), tin, and zircon
Area - comparative
approximately less than twice the area of Delaware
Geographic coordinates
13 28 N, 16 34 W
Population distribution
communities are dispersed along the Gambia River; the most significant populations, including Banjul, the capital, and Serekunda, the largest city, are located at the river's mouth along the Atlantic coastline, as depicted in this population distribution map
Major rivers (by length in km)
Gambia river mouth (jointly with Senegal and Guinea [s]) - 1,094 km
note: [s] denotes river source following the country name; [m] denotes river mouth following the country name