|
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
|
