GAMBIA | 10 CURIOSITIES YOU NEED TO KNOW # 4 (Maig 2024)
El riu Gàmbia, riu a l’oest d’Àfrica, amb 1.120 km de longitud, s’aixeca a la República de Guinea i flueix cap a l’oest a través de Gàmbia fins a l’oceà Atlàntic. Els seus afluents principals són el Sandougou i el Sofianiama. Gàmbia és una de les vies fluvials més fines de l'Àfrica i l'únic riu de l'oest africà que és fàcilment accessible per al transport marítim. Constitueix un factor unificador per a l'estat independent de Gàmbia, que consisteix en una estreta franja de terra al llarg de les dues ribes del riu. La separació política entre Gàmbia i Senegal ha impedit, tanmateix, el desenvolupament dels recursos del riu i de la seva conca, tot i que el 1978 els dos països van establir l'Organització per al Desenvolupament del riu Gàmbia (unida el 1980 per Guinea).
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Destinació Àfrica: fet o ficció?
El país més gran d’Àfrica és Algèria.
Des de la seva font a les terres altes de la Fouta Djallon, Gàmbia segueix un curs sinuós fins a la seva desembocadura, que és una ria o estuari ofegat. La divisió i la reunió dels canals fluvials —un fenomen conegut com a trencament— ha creat diverses illes al llarg del curs mig del riu, de les quals les dues més grans són l’illa Elefant i l’illa MacCarthy. Al riu s’uneixen nombroses cales anomenades bolons, la més gran d’aquestes és el Bintang Bolon, que desemboca al sud des del sud. L'amplada de la vall del riu varia considerablement al llarg del seu curs. La vall del riu es talla en un altiplà de gres que data de paleogènia i neogènia (és a dir, fa aproximadament 65 a 2,6 milions d'anys).
Dense mangrove swamps fringe the lower river for 60 miles (97 km) inland, after which freshwater swamps and salt flats on low-lying stretches alternate with dense clumps of small trees and shrubs that line the cliffs. On the higher slopes of the riverbank, swamps and shrubs give place to parkland and tall grass. The wild oil palm grows along the valley bottom.
The vegetation of the river and of its creeks provides a favourable habitat for insects, animals, and birds. The swamps provide a breeding place for mosquitoes and tsetse flies. The river abounds in fish and river creatures, including the hippopotamus and the crocodile. Among the 400 bird species that have been recorded are the kingfisher, the cuckoo, the swallow, the heron, the sunbird, the hawk, and the grass warbler.
The swampy region closest to the river, with its dense masses of mangrove trees often growing more than 100 feet (30 m) high, abounds in wildlife but has been of little use for either agriculture or human settlement. The grass-covered river flats (known locally as banto faros) of the lower river are rendered useless for cultivation by the salt water that periodically inundates them, and settlements on them are few. The flats of the middle and upper river are of some agricultural value, however. Much of the grassland is regularly cleared, and the light soils are easily cultivable. The annual flooding of the fertile alluvial loams of the middle flats makes them especially suitable for intensive rice cultivation. On the light sandy and well-drained soils of the higher slopes, peanuts (groundnuts) grow particularly well. Cultivation and settlement have therefore taken place in the middle flats and on the higher slopes, with many villages being located on the borderline between the flats and the plateau, thus avoiding both the flooding of the lower slopes and the increasing aridity of the higher terrain.
The Gambia is one of the most navigable of African rivers; its chief value, therefore, has been its transportation function. As the main artery of the state of The Gambia, it is the principal means of transporting passengers, freight, and mail in the territory. North-south river crossings are provided by ferries such as those plying between Barra and Banjul, Banni and Kerewan, Farafenni and Yelitenda, and Kau-ur and Jessadi.
