Banjul the capital city of the Gambia

I would like to write about Banjul, the capital city of the Gambia. At first I would like briefly describe the state and then I’m going to characterize the capital.
The Gambia is the republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, situated on the western coast of Africa, isolated on the north, east, and south by Senegal and on the west by Atlantic Ocean. The state has an area around 11 300 sq km. The Gambia has a subtropical climate. The temperatures are around 16ºC in winter but around 43ºC in summer. The population of the state is about 1 500 000. The primary education is free but not compulsory, so there are 25% of the people illiterate. In this state there are living many nations. We can find here Mandinka, Fula, Jola, Serahuli,… The official language is English. The people are mainly Muslims or Christians. The state currency is Dalasi. The people are separated into the three groups. The inclusion of the people depends on the status in the society. They can be at the top in the traditional noble and warrior families, then in group of farmers, traders or in the lowest caste where are only slaves.
And what about the history? The first settlement comes from 6th century. In 13th century many ethnic groups entered the Gambia. They later formed small kingdoms and brought Islam. In 1455 Portuguese explorers entered the region and established the trading stations along the river. Then in 1820 Britain declared the Gambia a protectorate and ruled it from Sierra Leone. In 1886 the state became a crown colony. Since 1965 the Gambia is independent but since 1994 it have had the military government. The president’s name is Yahya AJJ Jammeh. The Islamic calendar is a little bit different. Therefore they celebrate for example Ras as-Sana (New Year) 11 days earlier. Then they observe Tabaksi, Eid al-Moulid – the celebration of the Mohammed’s birthday, than comes Ramadan – time of the fasting. In late June they celebrate the International Roots Festival – it is a celebration of the getting Americans and Europeans of African descent back in touch with Africa. Next they have many public holidays: New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Good Friday and Easter Monday and indeed Christmas.
And now something about the capital. The city was founded by the British in 1816 on the island, which was bought from Tumami Bojang, King of the Kombos for a sum of about US$45. The British paid in cash, rum, tobacco and guns.

They needed this state for its good position and they used Banjul as a trading point and a base for the slave trade. Banjul was first formerly named Bathurst after Henry Bathurst, the secretary of the British Colonial Office. Banjul is a port city, which is situated on St. Mary’s Island where the Gambia River enters the Atlantic Ocean. It is the only large urban area in Gambia and it is the country’s economic, administrative centre and seat of the government. Banjul is one of the smallest capital cities in Africa. Its population is about 50 000. It serves for exporting goods into the West African states and the other states of the world. They export peanut, peanut oil, palm kernels. The peanut industry represents nearly 90% of the Gambia’s national income. The Gambia’s major trading partners are for example Japan, Senegal, Hong Kong, France, China, UK,…
City is connected with the interior and Senegal via a ferry across the Gambia River and by the Banjul-Serekunda Highway. The Gambia’s international airport is at Yundum, 20km southwest from Banjul. It is served by scheduled and charter flights to and from Western Europe and other African states, with connections to other parts of the world. An airport tax is US$20. The Gambia has no railroads. The busy heart of Banjul is Albert Market, a good place to pass a couple of hours walking and shopping for clothes, shoes, fruits or vegetables. Nearby on MacCarthy Square there is the War Memorial and the Fountain, built to commemorate the coronation of the British King George VI. The visitors can see the National Museum of the Gambia, where are the photos, maps and texts about archaeology placed. Not far off there is Arch 22, which is the tallest building in the Gambia. This building has 35m and it was built to celebrate the military coup of 22nd July 1994. The next landmarks are the State House and the minarets of the king Fuad Mosque.
When the tourists want to enter the Gambia they must have the vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis, hepatitis, yellow fever, rabies, typhoid fever and malaria.
The best time to travel there is from November to February, when the conditions are dry and relatively cool. However, around this same time, the dry wind called haramattan blows from Sahara. From December to February there is the local trading season, so the markets are very busy. During the wet season (June-October) the tourist areas are empty. In the capital the travellers can lodge only in three hotels: Apollo Hotel (2 star), Carlton Hotel (3 star) and Atlantic Hotel, which is very luxury and it is 5 star.

If the Czech adventurer wants to go there, he must buy the plain ticket that costs around 78000 CZK and he will fly from Prague across Frankfurt and Brussels or from Prague across Paris and Dakar. In the Czech Republic there is only one travel agency – Fischer - that makes the tours to the Gambia. This agency flies there from November to April but only in the Atlantic Coast Resorts, where offers five hotels and they cost from 25000 CZK to 50000 CZK.
Travellers have to have a enough money for food and accommodation, they need minimally US$12 per day. They can change the money at the banks and exchange offices. Tipping is for foreigners standard in this poor part of Africa. A tip is around 10%. They can try to eat in local simple eating houses called “chop shop” or “afra”, where they can order plates of rice and sauce, grilled or roast meats mixed with onions and spices. They can drink the national beer called “Julbrew”.
When the tourists are bellyful of the sights in Banjul they can visit Abuko Nature Reserve or Balaba Nature Camp, where they learn the cultural skills from the local people and live in real African style. The next entertaining points are the Katchikali Crocodile Pool, which was discovered hundreds years ago by the natives and it is a home of more than 100 crocodiles, and the famous West African stone circles. They were used as a burial place, which is more than 1 200 years old. If the tourists are lovers of the nature they can try the bird watching in the Bird Safari Camp, where live more than 540 different species of bird, butterflies or dragonflies, and if they are suspiciously sport fans, they must see the Gambia’s national sport – wrestling – that is similar to Greco-Roman wrestling. As long as the tourists want especially swimming, they must move from Banjul to the Atlantic Coast Resorts – the heart of the Gambia’s tourist industry. In this area they can visit the botanical garden, but here they enjoy above all the holiday with swimming and sunbathing.