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THE GAMBIA AND ITS PEOPLE




The Gambia, a small but not insignificant nation of West Africa and is one of the most oddly shaped countries on the continent of Africa. The occupants of what is now The Gambia probably migrated to the region from present-day Senegal in which the country is completely surrounded by its territory, except for a small coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. The Republic of the Gambia comprises of a narrow strip of land, ranging from 24 to 48 kilometers wide centering the Gambia River.

The Gambia was part of the African Mali empire when the first Europeans, the Portuguese, arrived in the region in 1455. Throughout the late 1600’s and 1700’s, Britain and France contested for trade in the area. The Treaty of Versailles of 1783 granted the territory around the Gambia River to Britain. Britain’s 1889 agreement with France, which controlled Senegal resulted the country’s uncommon borders.

In the years following World War II, the Gambia progressively moved towards independence. It gained self-government in 1963 and complete independence in 1965. A constitution adopted in 1970 declared The Gambia a republic with a president, elected for five years, as head of state and government. In 1982, the Gambia joined its neighbor, Senegal to form the Confederation of Senegambia. An economic union between the two nation was planned, and the armed forces of the two countries were merged, however the confederation was dissolved in 1989.

Published: December 30, 2018

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 1, 2019 at 11:08 PM

    Whoa! I looked for the map of Gambia. And yes, it's pretty odd. But it cool. The georaphy it covers and the reasons behind. Thanks author, this is fun.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ArealJanuary 2, 2019 at 4:40 AM

    Fabian's, Ahh nice

    ReplyDelete
  3. MarkJanuary 2, 2019 at 5:07 AM

    Gambia yey

    ReplyDelete
  4. CindyJanuary 4, 2019 at 2:23 AM

    Love this blog.

    ReplyDelete

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