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. Jawara remained the president winning several elections until he was overthrown by Yahya Jammeh in a bloodless 1994 coup. (Full article...)

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Map of The Gambia

In the 1994 Gambian coup d'état, a group of soldiers led by 29-year-old Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless coup d'état on the morning of 22 July, ousting Dawda Jawara, who had been President of The Gambia since it became a Republic in 1970.

The coup plotters dissolved the government, arrested government members, and abolished the constitution. The coup led to the installment of Yahya Jammeh as president, who ruled The Gambia as an authoritarian for 22 years. (Full article...)

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Image 1Banjul International Airport
Image 2Front and back view of the Gambian dalasi and coins from 5 bututs to 1 dalasi
Image 3Life in Serekunda
Image 4Gambian postage stamps from 1953
Image 5A view of Janjanbureh, Gambia
Image 6A donkey cart at a beach in The Gambia
Image 7Arch 22 in the Gambian capital city of Banjul
Image 8Fish being smoked in Tanji
Image 9Gunjur is a small coastal town in south-western Gambia.
Image 10A Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) in the Abuko Nature Reserve in The Gambia
Image 11Traders at a fish market on the Gambian coast

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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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The Gambia competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation at London marked its eighth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation included two athletes, Suwaibou Sanneh and Saruba Colley, the former had qualified by setting a qualifying time that fell within the required standard and the latter entered via a wildcard place. Sanneh was selected as the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Sanneh became the first Gambian athlete to advance into the semi-finals of the men's 100 metres, while Colley was eliminated after the quarter-final stages of the Women's 100 metres. (Full article...)

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