Portal:The Gambia

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The Gambia Portal

The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for the western part, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.

Its territory is on both sides of the lower reaches of the Gambia River, which flows through the centre of the country and empties into the Atlantic. The national namesake river demarcates the elongated shape of the country, which has an area of 11,300 square kilometres (4,400 sq mi) and a population of 2,769,075 people in 2024 which is a 2.30% population increase from 2013. The capital city 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 The Gambia throughout the 9th and 10th centuries. In 1455, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to enter The Gambia, although they never established significant trade there. The British Empire established a colony in 1765. In 1965, 200 years later, The Gambia gained independence under the leadership of Dawda Jawara. Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless 1994 coup. (Full article...)

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West Coast Region, originally the Western Division, also known as Foni or Fonyi, was one of the five administrative divisions of the Gambia. Its capital was Brikama. It was subsequently reorganised as the Brikama Local Government Area (LGA), without any change in the area covered.

Per 2013 census, the region had a population of 699,704 with a population density of 397. The total number of households was 45,396 as of 2003. As of 2003, the total area of the region is 1764.3 km². The infant mortality rate was 71 for every thousand births and the under-five mortality was 93 per every thousand births. The poverty gap ratio was 22.4 per cent and literacy rate was 69.7 per cent as of 2003. (Full article...)

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Image 1Gambian postage stamps from 1953
Image 2Front and back view of the Gambian dalasi and coins from 5 bututs to 1 dalasi
Image 3Traders at a fish market on the Gambian coast
Image 4A view of Janjanbureh, Gambia
Image 5Arch 22 in the Gambian capital city of Banjul
Image 6Life in Serekunda
Image 7Fish being smoked in Tanji
Image 8A Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) in the Abuko Nature Reserve in The Gambia
Image 9Banjul International Airport

Image 9Banjul International Airport
Image 10Gunjur is a small coastal town in south-western Gambia.
Image 11A donkey cart at a beach in The Gambia

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... 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?

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Portrait of Sir Gilbert by Alexander Bassano, 1893

Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter (also Gilbert-Carter) KCMG (14 January 1848 – 18 January 1927) was an administrative officer in the Royal Navy and a colonial official for the British Empire.

Starting as a Collector of Customs for the Gold Coast, he then became a Treasurer of the Gold Coast and the Gambia. Moving on to colonial administration, he started as the Administrator for the Gambia, where he dealt with the aggression of the native king of Gambia. (Full article...)

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Gambia Regiment Gambia women's national football team Alexander Grant (British Army officer) The Gambia at the 2000 Summer Olympics The Gambia at the 2008 Summer Olympics The Gambia at the 2012 Summer Olympics The Gambia at the 2016 Summer Olympics The Gambia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics