Animal Info - The Gambia

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in the Gambia and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

Endangered:
- Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).
- Red Colobus (Procolobus badius).
- Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus).
Vulnerable:
- African Golden Cat (Profelis aurata).
- Lion (Panthera leo).
- Red-fronted Gazelle (Gazella rufifrons).
- West African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis).

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 108 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 0 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 4 (4 % of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 7 (7 % of total species) (IUCN 2000)

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

The Gambia contains portions of the Senegal & Gambia River Mangroves & Wetlands, and the Western Guinea Current Marine Ecosystems Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)

Population

Population in 1995: 1,090,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 96.5 people/sq km (249.9 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 1,291,858 (World Almanac 1999)

Area/Land Use

Area: 11,295 sq km (4,361 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

Grass and Shrub: 25 %
Crop and Settlements: 50 %
Major Forests: 25 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Protected Lands

Area: 180 sq km (69 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 1.72 % totally protected; 0 % partially protected; 1.72 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $367 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $1,100 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent adult literacy: Female: 16 % (1990); Male: 39 % (1990) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for the Gambia): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles

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Last modified: February 19, 2006;