Gambia in numbers: demographics, economy, energy, climate, currency, languages, time zone, political indicators and more data and comparisons with other countries. The Gambia , officially the Republic of the Gambia , [9][a] is a country in West Africa. Geographically, the Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa; [b] it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for the western part, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. [10] About the Country Brief Background The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965; it formed a short-lived federation of Senegambia with Senegal between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations signed a friendship and cooperation treaty. A military coup in 1994 overthrew the president and banned political activity, but a 1996 constitution and presidential elections,
