Geography of the Gambia

Gambia is located on the west coast of the African continent and is 11,295 km ² whose smallest territorial state. The about 740 -kilometer border, set in an agreement between France and England in 1888 and unchanged since 1891, follows a length of about 480 km and a width of between 10 and 50 km the path of the Gambia River. Apart from the coastline Gambia is surrounded by twenty times larger Senegal. Frequently, the country is referred to as an enclave, which according to the definition is incorrect.

Topography

Apart from the river can be divided the country into three broad areas:

The valley floor is the area along the river and its tributaries. This area, which covers about 4048 km ², 39 percent of the country is characterized by the poorly drained sediments. It often comes to seasonal flooding. This combination of the low layer and the abundant water forms unique habitats. On the muddy and salty soils of brackish -influenced estuary only salt-tolerant mangroves grow; them close to swamps, Faro on Mandinka, extend the path to the river by more than two kilometers. In the middle third of the country's river to Janjanbureh Iceland is accompanied by rice construction areas. This area is called by the Mandinka Banto Faros (over the marshes beyond ), is often only slightly flooded and fertile. The natural vegetation in this area is dominated by marsh grass.

The plateau is determined by the shallow, ferruginous sand hills, alternating with the valleys and up to a height of 20 meters, the cliffs at Cape St. Mary forms. In the central and eastern Gambia the plateau of Laterithügeln is interrupted. The natural vegetation in this zone is based on individual trees on the savannah and in the north east to the tropical gallery forest in the southwest. As in Senegal groundnut cultivation fell to a few plots that serve the forestry sector, the entire natural vegetation victim, so that the north shore bald areas shows where the desertification full effect. In addition to peanuts, which are exported as a single agricultural product, and millet is grown.

Another plateau of sandstone located in eastern Gambia. It is surrounded by low, rocky sandstone hills, which extend up to Senegal. Approximately four percent of the country consist of these barren hills.

Geology

The geological origins of Gambia are in the tertiary and quaternary era; the ground is so relatively young. Gambia is part of the Tertiary continental plateau, which comprises 53 percent of the land with alluvial Quaternary deposits along the same river Gambia. Occasional penetration of the sea and terrestrial sediments and the formation of sandstone characterize the geology of the country. Iron deposits caused by the rainy and dry periods during the Pleistocene.

The Tertiary rock formations include the layers of the Oligocene, Miocene and Pliocene and are part of the African plate. These layers consist of sand, sandstone, silt, clay and kaolinitic clay. The age of the layers is estimated to be 2.5 million years for the Oligocene up to 33 million years for the Pliocene.

The quaternary geological rock formations are very new age rock formations and less than 1.6 million years old. This group consists of six rock formations of two epochs, the Holocene and Pleistocene. The Holocene layers are younger than 8000 years, while the older Pleistocene layers are estimated at about 1.6 million years. The geological layers along the river from the Holocene era are mainly alluvial deposits of coarse sand and silt in the coastal zone of sandstone and silt. In the eastern Gambia Quaternary rock formations exist apart from the flow of iron- stone and pebble.

Climate

Climate Diagrams from west to east

The climate is tropical with a pronounced rainy season and dry season. The dry season lasts from the months of November to May, it is influenced by the dry north-east wind from the Sahara called the Harmattan. Temperatures are rising thereby to values ​​21 to 27 ° C, the relative humidity is between 30 and 60 percent.

The summer rainy season begins in June and lasts until October. The average annual rainfall is 1000 mm in the south west and the North East 800 mm. Most of the rain, almost ninety percent, it falls between the months of July and September. Near the coast, for example, in the Kombo-St. Mary Area, The oceanic climate is pleasant.

Waters

Gambia is on the Atlantic Ocean and has a coastline of about 80 kilometers in length.

A major concern is the erosion of the various sections of the beach during storms. In Banjul is a cemetery in danger of being completely swallowed by the sea. A number of graves has already been destroyed by the sea. In Kololi, Kololi Beach in the tourist center, the beach areas of Senegambia Beach Hotel and the Kairaba Beach Hotel had to be replaced with difficulty. These sand was used from the ocean floor, which was pumped by dredgers through steel pipes to the coast.

Some 1,300 km ², ie 11.5 percent of the land area, are water surfaces. This is carried by the Gambia River - one of the main currents of Africa - with its tributaries the main share. The Bintang Bolong it is the largest tributary. Bolong is a word for " moving water " or "creek " in the language of the Mandinka. The names of most tributaries of the Gambia have the suffix Bolong.

Next there is the River Benifet and Tanji, which flows near the village of Tanji into the Atlantic. The Allahein, which also flows into the Atlantic Ocean, is the border river to the southern Senegalese region of Casamance for about ten kilometers.

Islands

All the major islands of the country are located in the Gambia River, including the small island James Iceland. She has great historical importance, as it is recognized by the Fort James as a World Heritage Site. The 585 -acre River Gambia National Park is located on the island group Baboon Islands. In this sanctuary chimpanzees were reintroduced in 1979, which were previously held in Abuko Nature Reserve. On the Janjanbureh Iceland is the town Janjanbureh, which was formerly known as Georgetown.

In the Atlantic Ocean Bijol Islands is the only small group of islands off the coast of Gambia. Near the coastal town Tanji is known as a bird paradise and protected.

Surveys

The country of the Gambia River determined that flows from east to west. The river landscape is surrounded by two banks of low hills of laterite. Gambia is 78 percent between sea level and 20 m above sea level. The highest elevation in the eastern part of the country is given as 53 m and is located in the Upper River Region near the border with Senegal.

On maps only a solitary hill is registered with name. This hill in the Central River Region, which is about 29 meters high Mamayungebi Hill to the River Gambia pulls a loop that is located in the Central River Region.

On the coast a cliff located at Cape St. Mary, and the underlying coastal strip of Bakau Fajara rises to up to 21 m above sea level.

Cities

The five largest are covered by the calculation in 2013 cities and towns are: