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The Republic of The Gambia is a country in West Africa with an area of ??11,295 square kilometers, and a population of 2417,000, according to the UN average estimate for 2020.
It is a main tourist destination from the countries of Western Europe, mainly with charter flights. Surrounded by Senegal, it is one of the smallest countries in Africa and has an elongated shape, following the course of the river Gambia to the Atlantic. The capital is Banjul.
The Gambia became independent in 1965 from the United Kingdom.
The country is located in northwest Africa and has as its main transport artery the river of the same name (Gambia River), which flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
Its two most important islands are McCarthy Island and Baboon Island. The climate of the Gambia is characterized by the prevalence of two seasons.
of winter, which has no rain and of the rainy season, from June to October. In protected areas, such as Abuko, there are many endemic animal species.
The Gambia has been part of the Ghanaian Empire since the 8th century.
It was discovered by the Italians Albice Ca da Mosto and Antonio Uzodimare, on behalf of Portugal, in 1455 1456.
In 1580 the British acquired the commercial rights of the river Gambia and in 1783 the country became part of the colony of Senegal.
In 1816 it joined Sierra Leone and later the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana).
An English possession and then a protectorate, the Gambia, as it was called in earlier Greek versions, gained its independence on February 18, 1965, two years after its autonomy.
The first Prime Minister and President of the newly formed state was Dauda Jaguar, who was elected President in 1970, 1972 and 1977.
In 1981, after a coup in the Gambia, which was suppressed with the help of neighboring Senegal, the two countries formed a short-lived confederation, called Senegambia or Senegambia.
The Senegalese President took over as President of the Confederation and the President of the Gambia as Vice President. Jaguar won the 1982, 1987 and 1992 elections, but also faced a new coup attempt.
The 1994 coup was the one that succeeded and led to the overthrow of the first leader of the West African country on July 22, 1994. The military Yahya Jammeh seized power and banned all political activity.
In 1996 he held elections, which he won and the same year a new Constitution was approved in a referendum.
Jammeh won the election for the next decade and his regime was blamed for events such as the 2000 student riots that left 12 dead.