Map of Gambia
Gambia is a country in Africa with its capital at Banjul, home to about 2.82 million people across 11,300 km². The interactive map below plots 7 cities and towns, 1 rivers and 1 ports recorded for Gambia in YearMaps.
- Population
- 2.82 million
- Area
- 11,300 km²
- Capital
- Banjul
- Continent
- Africa
Interactive Map of Gambia
Centred on Banjul at 13.4539° N, 16.5917° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Gambia
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 bounded 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 on the north bank, Basse in Upper River Region, and Soma in the lower river region.
From prehistory, the Trans-Saharan trade, peaking in the 8th century to the early 17th century, connected Gambia to Africa's North-East. In the 9th and 10th centuries, Arab Muslims brought Sunni Islam to the Western Sahara and Gambia. 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 22 July 1994.
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. 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. In a swearing-in ceremony at the Gambian embassy in Dakar, Senegal, on 19 January 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.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: The Gambia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Gambia
In the 10th century, Muslim merchants established some of The Gambia’s earliest large settlements as trans-Saharan trade hubs. These settlements eventually grew into major export centers sending slaves, gold, and ivory across the Sahara. Between the 16th and 17th centuries, European colonial powers began establishing trade with The Gambia. In 1664, the United Kingdom established a colony in The Gambia focused on exporting enslaved people across the Atlantic. During the roughly 300 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the UK and other European powers may have exported as many as 3 million people from The Gambia. The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965. Geographically surrounded by Senegal, it formed the short-lived confederation of Senegambia between 1982 and 1989. In 1994, Yahya JAMMEH led a military coup overthrowing the president and banning political activity. He subsequently won every presidential election until 2016, when he lost to Adama BARROW, who headed an opposition coalition during free and fair elections. BARROW won reelection in 2021. The Gambia is the only member of the Economic Community of West African States that does not have presidential term limits. Since the 2016 election, The Gambia and the US have enjoyed improved relations. US assistance to the country has supported democracy-strengthening activities, capacity building, economic development, and security sector education and training programs.
- Location
- Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal.
- Climate
- Tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May)
- Terrain
- Flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills.
- Highest point
- Unnamed elevation 63 m; 3 km southeast of the town of Sabi.
- Lowest point
- Atlantic Ocean 0 m.
- Coastline
- 80 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 749 km; border countries: Senegal 749 km.
- Major rivers
- Gambia river mouth (shared with Senegal and Guinea [s]) - 1,094 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth.
- Natural resources
- Fish, clay, silica sand, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 62.6% (2023 est.); arable land: 43.5% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 0.7% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 18.5% (2023 est.); forest: 22% (2023 est.); other: 15.4% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Droughts.
- Geographic note
- Almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the African mainland.
- Languages
- English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars.
- Religions
- Muslim 96.4%, Christian 3.5%, other or none 0.1% (2019-20 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Mandinka/Jahanka 33.3%, Fulani/Tukulur/Lorobo 18.2%, Wolof 12.9%, Jola/Karoninka 11%, Serahuleh 7.2%, Serer 3.5%, other 4%, non-Gambian 9.9% (2019-20 est.)
- Economy
- Low-income West African economy; agriculture-dominant; high poverty rate; heightened inflation; dependent on foreign assistance and remittances; structural reforms conditioned by IMF Extended Credit Facility program.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Gambia in Numbers
- Population
- 2.82 million
- GDP
- US$2.6 billion
- GDP per person
- US$919
- Life expectancy
- 66.1 years
- Population growth
- 2.23% a year
- Population density
- 273 per km²
- Urban population
- 65.0%
- Surface area
- 11,295 km²
- Forest cover
- 21.3%
- Arable land
- 58.1%
- Access to electricity
- 69.0%
- Internet users
- 49.5%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Gambia in Depth
History
Arab traders provided the first written accounts of the Gambia area in the ninth and tenth centuries. During the tenth century, Muslim merchants and scholars established communities in several West African commercial centres. Both groups established trans-Saharan trade routes. They carried out a large export trade of local people taken captive in raids and sold as slaves. Gold and ivory were also exported, and the trade routes were used to import manufactured goods to these areas.
By the 11th or 12th century, the rulers of kingdoms such as Takrur (a monarchy centred on the Senegal River just to the north), ancient Ghana and Gao had converted to Islam. They had appointed to their courts Muslims who were literate in the Arabic language.
Geography
The Gambia is a small and narrow country whose borders mirror the meandering Gambia River. It lies between latitudes 13 and 14°N, and longitudes 13 and 17°W.
The Gambia is less than 50 kilometres (31 miles) wide at its widest point, with a total area of 11,295 km2 (4,361 sq mi). About 1,300 square kilometres (500 square miles) (11.5%) of the Gambia's area are covered by water. It is the smallest country on the African mainland. In comparative terms, the Gambia has a total area slightly more than that of the island of Jamaica.
Senegal surrounds the Gambia on three sides, with 80 km (50 mi) of coastline on the Atlantic Ocean marking its western extremity.
The present boundaries were defined in 1889 after an agreement between the United Kingdom and France.
Economy
The Gambia has a liberal, market-based economy characterised by traditional subsistence agriculture, a historic reliance on groundnuts (peanuts) for export earnings, a re-export trade built up around its ocean port, low import duties, minimal administrative procedures, a fluctuating exchange rate with no exchange controls, and a significant tourism industry.
The World Bank pegged Gambian gross domestic product (GDP) for 2018 at US$1,624 million; the International Monetary Fund put it at US$977 million for 2011. From 2006 to 2012, the Gambian economy grew annually at a rate of 5–6% of GDP.
Agriculture accounts for roughly 30% of GDP and employs about 70% of the labour force.
Demographics
The urbanisation rate as of 2011 was 57.3%. Provisional figures from the 2003 census show the gap between the urban and rural populations narrowing as more areas are declared urban. While urban migration, development projects, and modernisation are bringing more Gambians into contact with Western habits and values, indigenous forms of dress and celebration and the traditional emphasis on the extended family remain integral parts of everyday life.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: The Gambia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Gambia: Key Facts
| Currency | dalasi |
|---|---|
| Official language | English |
| Head of state | Adama Barrow |
| Head of government | Adama Barrow |
| Form of government | republic |
| Calling code | +220 |
| Internet domain | .gm |
| Lowest point | Atlantic Ocean |
| Established | 1965 |
Facts from Wikidata Q1005 (CC0).
History of Gambia: Empires and States
The atlas records 6 polities whose mapped territory included part of Gambia, from The Mali Empire in 1236 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| The Mali Empire | 1236–1563 CE | Most |
| Songhai Empire | 1564–1594 CE | Most |
| The British Empire | 1880–1968 CE | Nearly all |
| British Africa | 1885–1960 CE | Nearly all |
| British East Africa | 1961–1968 CE | Nearly all |
| Republic of The Gambia | 1967–2024 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of Gambia
Gambia on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Gambia
7 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brikama | 195,136 | Banjul | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Banjul | 43,094 | Banjul | National capital |
| 3 | Mansa Konko | 18,672 | Lower River | Admin-1 capital |
| 4 | Basse Santa Su | 14,380 | Upper River | Admin-1 capital |
| 5 | Bansang | 7,615 | Maccarthy Island | Populated place |
| 6 | Georgetown | 3,584 | Maccarthy Island | Admin-1 capital |
| 7 | Kerewan | 2,751 | Lower River | Admin-1 capital |
Rivers in Gambia
1 river recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.
| Name | Type | Also Flows Through |
|---|---|---|
| Gambia | River | Senegal, Guinea |
Ports in Gambia
1 port recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banjul | 42.1 m | Very Small | Atlantic Coast of Africa | medium vessels |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Gambia
1 World Heritage Site recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stone Circles of Senegambia | 2006 | Cultural | (i) (iii) |
Countries Bordering Gambia
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Africa
Gambia: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Gambia?
- The capital of Gambia is Banjul.
- What is the population of Gambia?
- Gambia has a population of about 2.82 million, the #142 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Gambia?
- Gambia covers 11,300 km², ranking #167 by area, with about 250 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Gambia in?
- Gambia is in Africa.
- Which countries border Gambia?
- Gambia shares a land or maritime border with Senegal.
- What is the largest city in Gambia?
- Brikama is the largest city in Gambia, with a metropolitan population of about 195,136.