| Location : |
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania |
| Geographic Coordinates : |
14 00 N, 14 00 W |
| Map References : |
Africa |
| 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 |
| Coastline : |
531 km |
| Maritime Claims : |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| 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: 12.78%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 87.01% (2001) |
| Irrigated Land : |
710 sq km (1998 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling |
| Geography - Note : |
Westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal. |
