The Gambia Portal

The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia and Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, Gambia is the smallest country in Africa and is surrounded by Senegal, except for its western coast on the Atlantic Ocean. Moreover, Gambia is situated on both sides of the lower reaches of the Gambia river, which flows through the centre of the country and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The national namesake River Gambia demarcates the elongated shape of the country, which has an area of 11,300 square kilometres (4,400 sq mi) and a population of 2,468,569 people in 2024. The capital city of the Republic of The Gambia is Banjul, which has the most extensive metropolitan area in the country; the second- and third-largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.

Arab Muslim merchants traded with native West Africans in Gambia throughout the 9th and 10th centuries. The Portuguese in 1455 entered the region, the first Europeans to do so, but never established important trade there. In 1765, the region was made a part of the British Empire by establishment of a colony. In 1965, The Gambia gained independence under the leadership of Dawda Jawara, who ruled until Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless 1994 coup. Adama Barrow became The Gambia's third president in January 2017, after defeating Jammeh in the December 2016 elections. Jammeh initially accepted the results, but then refused to leave office, triggering a constitutional crisis and military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States that resulted in his removal two days after his term was initially scheduled to end.

The Gambia has been a member of the Economic Community of West African States since its conception in 1975 and is a member of the Commonwealth, with English being the country's sole official language, both legacies of its British colonial past. The Gambia's economy is dominated by farming, fishing, and especially tourism. In 2015, 48.6% of the population lived in poverty. In rural areas, poverty was even more widespread, at almost 70%. (Full article...)

Selected article -

Banjul (UK: /bænˈdʒuːl/, US: /ˈbɑːndʒuːl/), officially the City of Banjul, is the capital and fourth largest city of The Gambia. It is the centre of the eponymous administrative division which is home to an estimated 400,000 residents, making it The Gambia's largest and most densely populated metropolitan area. Banjul is on St Mary's Island (Banjul Island), where the Gambia River enters the Atlantic Ocean. The population of the city proper is 31,301, with the Greater Banjul Area, which includes the City of Banjul and the Kanifing Municipal Council, at a population of 413,397 (2013 census). The island is connected to the mainland to the west and the rest of Greater Banjul Area via bridges. There are also ferries linking Banjul to the mainland at the other side of the river.

From the 19th century until 24 April 1973, the city was known as Bathurst. (Full article...)

Selected image -

Did you know -

  • ... that the opening of the Senegambia bridge has eliminated the need for a 400-kilometre (250 mi) diversion to cross the Gambia River when the ferry is out of use?

Good article -

This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.
The Gambia women's national football team (recognized at The Gambia by FIFA) represents the Gambia in international women's football. It is governed by the Gambia Football Federation. As of December 2019, it has only competed in one major international competition, the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations qualification. The Gambia has two youth teams, an under-17 side that has competed in FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup qualifiers, and an under-19 side that withdrew from regional qualifiers for an under-19 World Cup. The development of a national team faces challenges similar to those across Africa, although the national football association has four staff members focusing on women's football. (Full article...)

Subcategories

Category puzzle
Category puzzle
Select [►] to view subcategories
The Gambia
Gambia-related lists
Buildings and structures in the Gambia
Convention centers in the Gambia
Gambian culture
Economy of the Gambia
Education in the Gambia
Environment of the Gambia
Geography of the Gambia
Government of the Gambia
Health in the Gambia
History of the Gambia
Organisations based in the Gambia
Gambian people
Politics of the Gambia
Society of the Gambia
The Gambia stubs

Religions in The Gambia

West Africa

(All Africa-related portals)

WikiProjects

You are invited to participate in WikiProject The Gambia, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about The Gambia.
WikiProject Gambia
WikiProject Africa

Selected panorama -

Banjul, the capital city of The Gambia

Topics

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Discover Wikipedia using portals
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.