Gambia’s desperate fisherman and emigrants
Sep. 01, 2025
Q: In Gambia’s coastal waters, desperate fisherman are fighting a “sea war” against foreign vessels invading their fishing territory and destroying their nets. Other boats are filled with migrants on dangerous voyages to Spain’s Canary Islands. Where is the West African nation of The Gambia, the smallest country on the continental mainland?
Circle the area on this map
Q: A boat from Gambia capsized last week, killing as many as 130 African migrants . Most of those on board were from Gambia and Senegal, which surrounds Gambia on three sides. The boat sank off the coast of what nation north of Senegal?
A. Madagascar
B. Mali
C. Mauritania
D. Mozambique
Q: Money sent back from Gambians working outside the country accounts for 21% of Gambia’s economy. How many Gambians live in poverty?
A. 23%
B. 33%
C. 43%
D. 53%
Q: Some local Gambian fisherman have given up the fight against the foreign trawlers overfishing their waters. And, they are selling their open fishing boats to traffickers who fill them with desperate migrants. Why are Senegal and Mauritania intercepting more of these clandestine voyages?
A. Concern for migrants
B. Getting paid to stop them
Q: Policies focused on migration control instead of rescuing people from capsized boats are increasing deaths, according to a Spanish human rights organization. How many people died at sea last year while trying to get to Spain?
A. 10,500
B. 5,250
C. 2,500
D. 1,250
Answers for this quiz: Click here