The Gambia is one of Africa’s smallest countries with a population of about 1.8 million. It gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1965 as a constitutional monarchy within the British Commonwealth. In 1970, the country became a republic following a majority-approved referendum. President Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless coup in 1994 and has ruled with an iron fist ever since. Econmically speaking, The Gambia is one of the poorest nations in the world. Lacking natural resources, its economy is largely agriculture-based and is dominated by groundnuts, particularly peanuts. Heavy dependence on peanut exports makes the economy vulnerable to unfavorable weather conditions, fluctuations in production and world commodity prices.