They have lived in Gambia longer than the other ethnic groups, and once were bitter enemies of the Mandingo. The Jola are hard-working farmers who live in small villages surrounded by earthen walls. They raise rice and millet for food. Most Jola follow a traditional African religion practiced by their ancestors. Almost all children living in and near Banjul attend school, but only about one-third of the children in other parts of Gambia go to school.
Most schoolchildren complete a six-year primary course, but only a few go to secondary schools.
Gambia has a technical school in Banjul and a teacher-training college in Yundum. The Gambia River rises in Guinea and winds through Gambia before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. Small oceangoing ships can sail up the river from the Atlantic as far as Kuntaur. Mangrove swamps line the riverbanks from the coast to the center of the country. Near the coast, salt water from the tidal reaches of the Gambia River floods the banto faros, ruining the soil.