Chapter 3 paragraph 1: Gambia: a different world

• Aardrijkskunde
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 1

At the end of this lesson

you can explain what landscapes, climates and population groups are found in Gambia

Gambia

Climate of Gambia

• Subtropical climate with a rainy season and a dry season
•  Always warm - rainy season between mid-June and mid-October
• Harmattan (a very dry and dusty wind from the northeast) carries sand from the Sahara in the dry season, making life very uncomfortable.

Landscape of Gambia

• Sandy beaches along the coast, and mangroves in the river delta
• Savannah in the rest of Gambia: south of the river savannah forest, north of the river savannah landscape
• Landscape changes due to deforestation and decrease in precipitation

Culture of Gambia

• The official language in Gambia is English: used in government, education and tourist areas. 
• About twenty different ethnic groups live in Gambia, each with their own culture and language. 
• The biggest tribe is Mandika, followed by Fula, of which most people are sheperds and nomads. 

Religion in Gambia

• About 90% of the population of Gambia is Muslim. About 10% of the population practices the Christian religion or another religion. Nature worship is forbidden. 
• ● Wherever you go, you can see how important Islam is. There are mosques everywhere. Even though the majority of the people of Gambia are Muslims, there are no strict rules about dress, as we find in some Middle Eastern countries. We hardly see any headscarves and women don’t have to cover their entire body. 

To work

• Make assignments paragraph 1 (see workplanner)
• 10 minutes silence, after that you can discuss 

What have you learned about the culture in Gambia?