The Gambia

**The Gambia**, ein official name be **Republic of The Gambia**, be country for West Africa. Ebe de smallest country for mainland Africa wey Senegal dey surround am except for ein western coast for de Atlantic Ocean.

De Gambia dey for both sides of de lower reaches of de Gambia River, wey dey give the country ein name, dey flow for de centre of de Gambia then go pour for de  Atlantic Ocean insyd. De national namesake river dey demarcate de elongated shape of de country, wich get area of 11,300 square kilometres (4,400 sq mi) den population of 2,769,075 people insyd 2024 wich be 2.30% population increase from 2013. Banjul be de Gambian capital, den san be de country ein largest metropolitan area in de country. De second den third-largest cities be Serekunda den Brikama.

Arab Muslim merchants trade plus native West Africans insyd The Gambia thru out de 9th den 10th centuries. De Portuguese for 1455 insyd enter de Gambian region, de first Europeans make dem do so, buh dem never establish important trade der. For 1765 insyd, na dem make the Gambia part of de British Empire by establishment of the Gambia. For 1965 insyd, the Gambia gain independence under Dawda Jawara ein leadership, wey he rule til Yahya Jammeh seize power for bloodless 1994 coup.

Adama Barrow cam turn the Gambia ein third presido for January 2017 insyd, after he defeat Jammeh for de December 2016 elections insyd. Jammeh initially accept de results, before he refuse make he lef office, e trigger constitutional crisis den military intervention by de Economic Community of West African States wey result for ein removal two days after dem schedule make ein term end.

The Gambia be member of de Economic Community of West African States since ein conception for 1975 insyd den member of de Commonwealth, plus English be de country ein sole official language, both legacies of ein British colonial past. Farming, fishing, den especially tourism dey dominate The Gambia ein economy. For 2015 insyd, 48.6% of de population live for poverty insyd. For rural areas, na poverty be even more widespread, for almost 70%.

## Etymology

## History

### 9th–16th centuries: Muslim den Portuguese influence

### English den French administration

### Slavery (17th–19th centuries)

### Gambia Colony den Protectorate (1821–1965)

### Post-independence (1965–present)

#### Monarchy den republican democracy

##### 1981 coup dem attempt

#### Senegambia Confederation

#### 1994 Yahya Jammeh ein military coup, follow by return to electoral democracy insyd 1997

#### Withdraw from de Commonwealth wey dem declare The Gambia Islamic Republic

#### 2016 presidential elections

##### Political impasse

#### Barrow ein first term in office

#### 2021 presidential election

## Geography

### Climate
The Gambia get tropical savannah climate. Short rainy season normally dey last from June til September, buh from then til May, lower temperatures predominate, plus less precipitation. De climate insyd The Gambia closely dey resemble dat of neighboring Senegal, of Mali, den of de northern part of Guinea.

### Wildlife

## Government den politics

### Political history

### Constitution

### Presidency

### Foreign relations

#### List of international organization memberships

* Commonwealth of Nations
* Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
* Organization of Islamic Cooperation
* United Nations
* African Union
* Organization of Islamic Cooperation

### Military

### Human rights

### Administrative divisions

Dem divide The Gambia into eight local government areas, wey dey include de national capital, Banjul, wich dem classify as city. Na dem create de divisions of The Gambia by de Independent Electoral Commission for accordance to Article 192 of de National Constitution.

Dem further subdivide de local government areas (2013) into 43 districts. Of these, Kanifing den Kombo Saint Mary (wich dey share Brikama as capital plus de Brikama Local Government Area) be effectively part of de Greater Banjul area.

## Economy


Serekunda market.jpg|Serekunda market
Fishing boat The Gambia.jpg|Brightly fishing boats dem paint be common insyd Bakau
Green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) juvenile head.jpg|The Gambia ein wildlife, like dis green monkey, dey attract tourists


## Transportation

## Demographics

### Ethnic groups
Variety of ethnic groups dey live insyd The Gambia, each dey preserve ein own language den traditions. De Mandinka ethnicity be de most numerous, follow by de Fula, Wolof, Jola/Karoninka, Serahule / Jahanka, Serers, Manjago, Bambara, Aku Marabou, Bainunka den odas, such as Tukulor. De Krio people, locally dem know dem as Akus, dey constitute one of de smallest ethnic minorities insyd The Gambia. Dem descend from Sierra Leone Creole people wey dem traditionally concentrate insyd de capital.

De roughly 3,500 non-African residents dey include Europeans den families of Lebanese origin (0.23% of de total population). Most of de European minority be British, although chaw of de British lef after independence.

### Languages

English be de official language of The Gambia wey dem thus dey use am for official purposes den education. Oda languages dey include Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, Serer, Soninke, Krio, Jola den oda indigenous vernaculars. Dey owe to de country ein geographical setting, knowledge of French (official language insyd much of West Africa) be relatively widespread.

Dem dey speak Mandinka as first language by 38% of de population, Pulaar by 21%, Wolof by 18%, Soninke by 9%, Jola by 4.5%, Serer by 2.4%, Manjak den Bainouk by 1.6% each, Portuguese Creole by 1%, den English by 0.5%. Dem dey speak several oda languages by smaller numbers. De deaf dey use de Gambian Sign Language.

### Education

#### Higher education

### Health

### Religion

Approximately 96% of de population identify as Sunni Muslim, mostly Malikite Sufi. Except for tiny fraction of one percent, de remainder of de population be Christian. Article 25 of de Constitution dey protect de rights of citizens make dem practise any religion wey dem dey choose wey intermarriage between Muslims den Christians be common.

#### Islam

#### Christianity

#### Traditional religions

#### Oda religions

## Culture

### Music
### Cuisine
### Literature

### Media

## Tourism

### Sports

## References


## External links

### Government

* "The Official Web Portal of The Government of The Gambia"

### General information

* "Gambia, The". *The World Factbook* (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.
* The Gambia from *UCB Libraries GovPubs*
*  at Curlie
* The Gambia from de BBC News
* 
* Geographic data related to The Gambia at OpenStreetMap
* Key Development Forecasts for The Gambia from International Futures
* The Gambia Population

### Tourism

* Visit The Gambia – De official website of The Gambia Tourism Board.

### Trade

* Gambia 2011 Trade Summary Statistics