The Gambia is a sovereign state in West Africa and the smallest country on the African mainland.
The nation’s territory follows both banks of the Gambia River as it flows west to the Atlantic Ocean, creating an elongated shape of 11,300 square kilometres entirely surrounded by Senegal except for the Atlantic coast. The capital is Banjul, an island city formerly known as Bathurst during colonial rule, while Serekunda and Brikama are the second- and third-largest cities. The population reached 2.4 million at the May 2024 census, a 30 per cent increase since 2013. Arab traders introduced Islam to the region during the ninth and tenth centuries through trans-Saharan trade routes. Portuguese explorers arrived in 1455, followed by British colonial administration from 1765. The Gambia gained independence in 1965 under President Dawda Jawara, who governed until a 1994 coup brought Yahya Jammeh to power. Adama Barrow became the third president in January 2017 following a constitutional crisis that required military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States to enforce the transfer of power. The economy relies on farming, fishing and tourism, though 17.2 per cent of the population lived in extreme poverty in 2022.
