Gambia

The Gambia is one of Africa’s smallest countries and unlike many of its West African neighbours it has enjoyed long spells of peace, tranquillity and stability since independence.Officially referred to as The Republic of The Gambia, the country is bordered to the north, east, and south by Senegal, with a small coast on the Atlantic Ocean in the west. Its borders roughly correspond to the path of the Gambia River, the nation’s namesake, which flows through the country’s center and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Its size is almost 10,500 square km with an estimated population of 1,700,000.
On 18 February 1965, The Gambia was granted independence from the United Kingdom and joined The Commonwealth. Banjul is The Gambia’s capital, but the largest conurbation or metropolitan area is Serekunda. The Gambia shares historical roots with many other West African nations in the slave trade, which was key to the establishment of a colony on the Gambia River, first by the Portuguese and later by the British.