Gambia is a country located in Africa with a standard voltage of 220-240 volts and a frequency of 50Hz. For tourists who want to visit Gambia, they should also know that the primary type of electrical outlet and plug in Gambia is the Type G British BS-1363.

Aside from that, tourists must also bring along adapters and voltage converters in case there would be some incompatibility.  With all these information, a tourist’s stay in Gambia would be less promblematic and he or she would be able to use appliances and electronic gadgets in Gambia in a convenient and safe way.

Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin Plug, Electrical Outlet, and Adapter

Type G plug

Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin also has a receptacle end that is compatible with most household plug types, except the Type M South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug. The plug end is a British BS-1363 13-amp type. For the adapter, the live and neutral pins are 4 x 6 x 18 mm apart, with the grounding pin measuring 4 x 8 x 23 mm. With the Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin adapter, a tourist could use his or her appliance or electronic gadget in Gambia. The plug of this Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin is polarized and grounded but not fused. The Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin electrical outlet and plug has a British 3-pin rectangular blade used widely in Gambia that has a protective fuse inside to protect cords from high-current circuits and, most of the time, the Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin electrical outlet includes a safety switch.

Type G outlet

Another name for the Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin plug is the 13-amp plug and for safety reasons Gambia requires electrical outlets in households that use the Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin to have shutters over the live and neutral connections of the electrical outlet. In the insertion of the longer earth pin from the plug, the safety shutters of the Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin are opened. The shutters are also present to prevent the use of incompatible plugs made to other standards in Gambia. However, there are cases wherein the safety shutters of this electrical outlet could be opened through a screwdriver in order to insert Type C plugs. But then, the usage of Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin outlet along with another kind of plug is not recommended because these plugs do not have a fuse.

Type G adapter

The regulation about the safety shutters and fuse is then followed in Gambia and all the other countries that use the Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin electrical outlet and plug like the United Kingdom, England, Ghana, Grenada, Macau, Malta, Malaysia, Qatar, Saint Vincent, Saudi Arabia, and Scotland. With all the safety measures and features of this plug and outlet, it is considered as one of the safest in Gambia, even the world. However, with all its features, this type of plug is bulky and cumbersome. Some people claim that the Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin plug is mostly bigger than the appliances they are connected to but if tourists would want to use their electronic gadget or appliance in Gambia, then they must have a Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin adapter.

Although the adapter would not change the voltage used, it will enable the plug of the appliance or electronic gadget to be inserted to the electrical outlet used in Gambia. In terms of compatibility, the Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin electrical outlet will work together with the Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin plug and adapter in Gambia. For the electrical outlet, the Type G British BS-1363 British 3-pin sockets are not compatible with other types of electrical outlet.

Voltage Converters and Universal Adapters

Transformer

If a tourist wants to use his or her gadget in Gambia, the best way is by using voltage converters such as the resistor-network converters, transformers, and in some cases the combination of both.  The resistor-network converters to be used in Gambia are usually advertised to support as much as 50-1600 Watts and are just ideal to use for short periods of time. The resistor-network converter is also not recommended for digital devices like laptop computers however it is great for lightweight electronics like hair dryers and irons.

Travel Voltage Converter

If a tourist would want to use a laptop computer or charge batteries for camera, mp3 players, camcorders, and radios in Gambia, the ideal voltage converter would be a transformer which lowers maximum watt rating. It could be used for long periods of time but is a little bit heavy because of the large iron rods and copper wires. The last kind of voltage converter in order to use electronics in Gambia that are not compatible with the electrical outlet present in Gambia is the combination of resistor-network converters and transformer. There is a switch that enables the changing of modes from resistor-network converter to transformer, depending on the tourist’s needs in Gambia.

Universal Adapters

These voltage converters and adapters will be very useful if a tourist would plan a trip to Gambia and intends to bring along some gadgets that require a particular voltage.  Another is that there are also universal adapters that could be used with any type of plug and electrical outlet, may it be in Gambia or another country. Most appliances and electronic gadgets made in the United States of America (USA) have a voltage of 110-120 and using it directly on a 220-240 electrical outlet in Gambia would cause damage to the appliance or electronic gadget, to the extent that it might be totally fried out or might even cause a fire. There are certain adapters that would fit particular plugs and these could be bought in hardware stores or electrical outlet shops in Gambia or before heading there.

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