Gambia Facts

Gambia Facts and History

Africa

Gambia – The smallest country in Africa

If the smallest country in Africa did not have an 80 km long coast to the Atlantic Ocean, it would be completely surrounded by Senegal. From the west coast of the African continent, the Gambia winds along the banks of the river of the same name deep into the interior of its much larger neighbor.

With the help of Senegal, an attempted coup in Gambia was repulsed in 1981. In the same year, the two countries agreed on a confederation treaty.

The “Senegambia” alliance of states comprised a union of the armed forces, the currency and the economic area. But the Gambia left the confederation in 1989.

Name of the country Republic of the Gambia
Form of government Presidential Republic
Geographical location West Africa
National anthem For The Gambia Our Homela
National holiday February 18 (independence: February 18, 1965)
Population about 2.3 million (Credit: Countryaah: Gambia Population)
Ethnicities Mandinka, Fulbe, Fula, Wollof, Jola, Serahule and others afrik. people
Religions 90% Muslims, 8% Christians and various natural religions
Languages English, Mandinka, Ful, Wollof, Jola, Fula, Sarahule, Arabichere and there, French
Capital Banjul with about 32,000 residents
Surface 11,295 kmĀ²
Highest mountain There are practically no mountains in the Gambia
Longest river Gambia with a length of 1,100 km
Largest lake The Gambia has no lakes to speak of
International license plate WAG
National currency 1 dalasi = 100 butut
Time difference to CET – 1 h = GMT
International phone code 00220
Mains voltage, frequency 220 volts and 50 hertz(a three-pin plug is used.)
Internet TLD (Top Level Domain) .gm

Gambia: history

Until the 19th century

In the 5th and 6th centuries AD, the area of today’s Gambia belonged to the great African empire of the Serrahule. Various tribal kingdoms emerged by the 8th century, including the Tekrour, Wolof, and Serer. From the 10th and 11th centuries, Gambia belonged to the Ghanaian Empire and was first mentioned by Arab traders in the 9th and 10th centuries who established a trade route for slaves, gold and ivory through the Sahara. From the 13th century the region belonged to the kingdom of Mali. In the middle of the 15th century, the Portuguese discovered the coast of Gambia. English traders started developing the area at the end of the 16th century. From the late 17th to the end of the 18th century, England and France fought over the Senegal and Gambia rivers, with the British ultimately taking over the dominance. During the phase of the transatlantic slave trade, over 3 million black slaves were shipped from the region to America. Gambia, temporarily administered from Sierra Leone, became a separate British crown colony from 1888.

In the 20th century

According to Abbreviationfinder website, during World War II, Gambian troops fought on the side of the Allies in Burma. Banjul served the United States as an airport and the Allies as a shipping port. After a popular election in 1962, Gambia was granted independence. After two referendums, the Republic of Gambia was founded within the Commonwealth on April 24, 1970. Sir D. Dawda K. Jawara became the first President of the Republic. He was re-elected five times and ruled until 1994. In 1981, a bloody attempted coup was repulsed with the help of Senegal. In the same year both countries signed a treaty to found the Senegambia Confederation, which included the union of the armed forces, the currency and the economic area. In 1989 the Gambia left this confederation, however. In 1994, President Dawda Jawara was elected by a military coup by the ”

The country’s new ruler was Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh, who was sworn in as president in 1996. After a new constitution came into force in 1997, he also became head of government. From 1997 to 1999 Gambia took over a seat on the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member. In the 2001 presidential election, Jammeh was re-elected for a further term until 2006. The elections for local government and the National Assembly in 2002 were boycotted by the opposition party. From December 2004, Gambia took part in a peace mission in Sudan led by the African Union. On December 16, 2004, the government-critical journalist Deyda Hydara was murdered. The organization “Reporters Without Borders” took part on May 3, 2005, International Press Freedom Day,

Adama Barrow (born 1965) has been president of the country since 2016.

Gambia Facts