Portal:The Gambia


The Gambia Portal

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

Its territory is on both sides of the lower reaches of the Gambia River, which flows through the center 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 2,422,712 people at the 1 May 2024 Census which is a 30.45% population increase from 2013. The capital city is the island Banjul, formerly called Bathurst during the colonial era, which is the most extensive metropolitan area in the country. The second- and third-largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama. Other significant cities are Kanifing and Farafenni in the north bank, Basse in Upper River Region, and Soma in lower river region.

Arab Muslim merchants traded with indigenous West Africans in the Gambia, under an arrangement known as the trans-Saharan trade, using a barter exchange system. Throughout the 9th and 10th centuries, Islam was introduced by the Arab traders to Western Sudan. 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. 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 coup on July 22, 1994. (Full article...)

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Christianity is a minority faith in The Gambia which is officially a secular country with no state religion, however the predominant religion is Islam, practised by approximately 96% of the country's population. Article 25 of the Constitution protects the rights of citizens to practise any religion that they choose.

The Christian community, situated mostly in the west and south of the country, is predominantly Roman Catholic. In 2007 there were also several Protestant groups including Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and various small evangelical denominations. In 1965, the Gambia Christian Council was formed as an ecumenical association of Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Methodist churches. (Full article...)

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The Gambia sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7–18 September 2016. This was the nation's second appearance at the Paralympics, following their first participation in the 2012 London Paralympics. The Gambia sent one athlete, Demba Jarju, who failed to advance from his heat in the men's 100 meters T54 event. (Full article...)

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The Gambia
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Religions in The Gambia


West Africa


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You are invited to participate in WikiProject The Gambia, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about The Gambia.
WikiProject Gambia
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James Island, an island off The Gambia

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