Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Did you know?

1. No African country names begin with the letters F, H, I, J, O, P, Q, V, W, X, or Y.

2. Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent.

3. The Republic of the Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa.

The The officially belongs in front of Gambia since 1964

About The Gambia Name and Unique Facts

Yes it is officially true, the The officially belongs in front of Gambia since 1964. 

Gambian Woman

The Permanent Committee on Geographical Names says "A letter dated May 1964 from the Gambian prime minister's office instructed that The Gambia should be used with a capital T. One of the reasons they gave was that The Gambia could be confused with Zambia, which was a new name to the international community at the time."

Interesting facts about The Gambia

1. The official name is Republic of The Gambia.

2. The Gambia gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1965.

3. The Gambia is Africa's smallest mainland country at 11,295 sq km or 4,361 sq miles.

4. The Gambia is geographically surrounded by Senegal.

5. From 1982-1989 The Gambia and Senegal formed Senegambia.

The Gambia banned gambling March 1, 2015
The Gambia banned gambling March 1, 2015

6. The 1,130km or 700 mile long Gambia River runs through the middle of the country and using the ferry or small privately owned wooden pirogues boats as means of transportation across the river to Senegal is common practice.

7. The peanut crop dominates The Gambia agricultural exports about 75% of the population depends on the agricultural sector for its livelihood as well as one of the larger markets for tourism in West Africa.

The Gambia Capital city is Banjul
The Gambia Capital city is Banjul

8. The median age of the nearly 2 million Gambians residents is 20.2 years old.

9. The Gambia banned gambling March 1, 2015, denouncing the industry as "exploitative" and saying the government acted to prevent its youth from becoming a generation of addicts.

10. The Gambia ethnic groups mainly fall into the Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%, and non-African 1%.

11. The Gambia religions are divided roughly into Muslim 90%, Christian 8%, and indigenous beliefs 2%.

12. The government of Yahya Jammeh changed the long-form name to Islamic Republic of The Gambia in December 2015. In January 2017, the new president Adama Barrow changed the country's name back to Republic of The Gambia.

13. The Gambia national symbol is the lion and national anthem "For The Gambia, Our Homeland".

14. Administrative divisions are one city of Banjul and five divisions of the Central River, Lower River, North Bank, Upper River, and Western.

15. The Gambia flag; three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green; red stands for the sun and the savannah, blue represents the Gambia River and green symbolizes forests and agriculture; the white stripes denote unity and peace.

The Gambia flag
The Gambia flag

Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

  1. Historical African Country Name
  2. Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa
  3. How many countries does Africa have?
  4. Roots of Africanized Christianity Spiritual Songs
  5. Paying Money To Tour Slums in Africa
  6. Awesome Kenyan Woman
  7. Land is Not For Women in Sierra Leone

  8. African Kente Cloth Facts
  9. Accra the Ghanaian Capital Ultimate Mall Experience


Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

  1. African Country Names Your Saying Wrong
  2. What do Waist Beads Symbolize in Africa?
  3. About African Healers and Witchdoctors
  4. Hurricanes are Angry African Ancestors
  5. Highest Temperature and Lowest Temperature in Africa
  6. About African Night Running


Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Africa is surrounded by water but is not an island, here are a few African Island facts.

Madagascar is the 4th large island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean supporting a unique biology, about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth.

Composed of 155 islands, Seychelles is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria.

Cabo Verde has a strategic location 310 miles or 500 km from the west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site.

Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent. Continents can not be considered islands because of their size and also by historic definition since many people who study geography define islands and continents as two different things.

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African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

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Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet are dedicated to discovering, collecting and sharing African history and heritage celebrating 14 years of service in 2021. Share and support in the pride of being part of an important cultural and educational resource.


Being African in America I have grown up learning about different ethnic cultures. My father and mother are historians of African culture and history and their influence expanded my activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded products, and a popular African culture and food blog.

Chic African Culture

Be better than average and support African history and culture. Since 2008 Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet highlight Africa through her food and culture. Contact us culture1africangourmet@gmail.com

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