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The Gambia

"Gambia" redirects here. For the river, see Gambia River. Not to be confused with Zambia.
This article is about the modern state. For its predecessor, see The Gambia (1965–1970).

Republic of The Gambia
Motto: "Progress, Peace, and Prosperity"
Anthem: "For The Gambia Our Homeland"
Location of The Gambia (dark green) in western Africa
Location of The Gambia (dark green) in western Africa
CapitalBanjul
13°27′00″N 16°34′30″W / 13.45000°N 16.57500°W / 13.45000; -16.57500
Largest metropolitan areaSerrekunda
Official languagesEnglish
National languages
List:
Ethnic groups
(2024 Population and Housing Census)
Religion
(2024)[3]
Demonym(s)Gambian
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
• President
Adama Barrow
Muhammad B.S. Jallow
Fabakary Tombong Jatta
Hassan Bubacar Jallow
LegislatureNational Assembly
Independence from the United Kingdom
• from the United Kingdom
18 February 1965
• dissolution of the Senegambia Confederation
30 September 1989
Area
• Total
11,300[4] km2 (4,400 sq mi) (159th)
• Water (%)
11.5
Population
• 2024 estimate
2,422,712[5][full citation needed] (144th)
• Density
227/km2 (587.9/sq mi) (74th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $7.502 billion[6] (166th)
• Per capita
Increase $2,837[6] (175th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $2.388 billion[6] (185th)
• Per capita
Increase $903[6] (180th)
Gini (2015)Positive decrease 35.9[7]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Decrease 0.495[8]
low (174th)
CurrencyGambian dalasi (GMD)
Time zoneUTC (GMT)
Daylight saving time is not observed
Calling code+220
ISO 3166 codeGM
Internet TLD.gm

The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia,[9][a] is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa;[b] it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for the western part, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.[10]

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 47% population increase from 2013.[11] The capital city is Banjul, which has the most extensive metropolitan area in the country.[12] The second and third-largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.[citation needed]

Arab Muslim merchants traded with indigenous 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.[13] 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 in July 22.

Adama Barrow was elected as The Gambia's third president in December 2016; he defeated Yahya Jammeh with the help of a coalition of other opposition political parties.[14] Jammeh initially accepted the results, but then refused to leave office claiming he was cheated, triggering a constitutional crisis. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) conducted a military intervention and achieved Jammeh's removal two days after his term was initially scheduled to end.[15][16][17] In a swearing-in ceremony at the Gambian embassy in Dakar, Senegal, on January 19, 2017, Adama Barrow formally became president of The Gambia.

The Gambia's economy is dominated by farming, fishing, and especially tourism. In 2022, 17.2% of the population lived in extreme poverty, defined as living on less than US$2.15 (2017 PPP) per day. The Gambia is a founding member of the ECOWAS. It rejoined the Commonwealth of Nations in 2018 after previously withdrawing in 2013.[18] English is the country's sole official language; it became widely used during British rule.

  1. ^ National Population Commission Secretariat (2019–2020). "2024 Gambia report by the CIA: Spatial Distribution". Gambia Bureau of Statistics. The CIA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Population - Total - GBoS". The Gambia Bureau of Statistics.
  3. ^ "The World Factbook: Gambia, The". CIA. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Gambia, The". Central Intelligence Agency. 28 February 2023. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  5. ^ The Gambia 2024 Population and Housing Census
  6. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Gambia)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  7. ^ "GINI index (World Bank estimate) – Data". World Bank. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Member States". United Nations. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  10. ^ Hoare, Ben. (2002) The Kingfisher A–Z Encyclopedia, Kingfisher Publications. p. 11. ISBN 0-7534-5569-2.
  11. ^ "Gambia, The". The World Factbook (2025 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 June 2023. (Archived 2023 edition.)
  12. ^ "Banjul | national capital, The Gambia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 3 August 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  13. ^ Hughes, Arnold (2008) Historical Dictionary of the Gambia. Scarecrow Press. p. xx. ISBN 0-8108-6260-3.
  14. ^ Wiseman, John A. (2004). "The Gambia: Recent History". Africa South of the Sahara 2004 (33rd ed.). Europa. p. 456. ISBN 978-1-85743-183-4.
  15. ^ Maclean, Ruth (21 January 2017). "Yahya Jammeh leaves the Gambia after 22 years of rule". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 16 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  16. ^ "Gambia's Yayah Jammeh confirms he will step down". Al Jazeera. 20 January 2017. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  17. ^ Ramsay, Stuart (22 January 2017). "Former Gambia leader Yahya Jammeh flies into political exile". Sky News. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  18. ^ "The Gambia rejoins the Commonwealth". Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2022.


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