Gambia 🇬🇲
Gambia is a country in Africa with a population of 2,705,992. Its capital is Banjul. The official currency is GMD, and the main languages are English.
Quick facts
- Capital: Banjul
- Continent: Africa
- Population: 2,705,992
- Area: 11,295 km²
- Density: 240 people per km²
- Currency: GMD
- Languages: English
- ISO code: GM
Where Gambia sits
Gambia 🇬🇲 is one of 54 countries in Africa, with its capital at Banjul. It covers 11,295 square kilometres — 160th in the world — and is home to about 2,705,992 people, 140th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Gambia compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Gambia sits closest to Qatar and Lithuania. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Qatar and Jamaica.
At 240 people per square kilometre it is about 4.0 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
English is an official language in 58 countries here, among them Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas and Barbados, and 53 others. The GMD is used by Gambia and no one else.
To see Gambia next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Gambia
The blue stripe on the flag is the river, and the country is the river: it follows the Gambia River inland and is surrounded on three sides by Senegal. Banjul is on an island right at the river's mouth.
The flag of Gambia: red, blue and green, separated by white
🇬🇲 The flag is three horizontal bands of red, blue and green, with thin white stripes either side of the blue. Red stands for the sun and the savanna, blue for the Gambia River, green for the forests and farmland, and white for unity and peace.
Region and neighbours
Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, a narrow strip of land along the Gambia River in West Africa. It shares land borders with one country: Senegal.
- Senegal 🇸🇳 — capital Dakar
Three facts about Gambia
- The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, and in most places it is less than 50 km wide.
- Apart from its short Atlantic coast, The Gambia is completely surrounded by Senegal.
- Kunta Kinteh Island in the Gambia River is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sources: Wikipedia: The Gambia, Wikipedia: Flag of the Gambia, Wikipedia: Banjul, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Gambia
- African capitals quiz — match Gambia to Banjul
- African flags quiz — spot the Gambia flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Gambia
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Gambia those are:
- Africa map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Africa flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Africa capitals quiz — match it to Banjul
- Gambia capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Gambia
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Gambia
- Capital of Gambia: Banjul — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 54 countries of Africa
Nearby countries
- Algeria 🇩🇿 — capital Algiers
- Angola 🇦🇴 — capital Luanda
- Benin 🇧🇯 — capital Porto-Novo
- Botswana 🇧🇼 — capital Gaborone
- Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 — capital Ouagadougou
- Burundi 🇧🇮 — capital Gitega
- Cabo Verde 🇨🇻 — capital Praia
- Cameroon 🇨🇲 — capital Yaoundé
- Central African Republic 🇨🇫 — capital Bangui
- Chad 🇹🇩 — capital N'Djamena
- Comoros 🇰🇲 — capital Moroni
- Congo 🇨🇬 — capital Brazzaville
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Gambia flag?
The flag of Gambia is three horizontal bands of red, blue and green, with thin white stripes either side of the blue. Red stands for the sun and the savanna, blue for the Gambia River, green for the forests and farmland, and white for unity and peace.
Which countries border Gambia?
Gambia shares land borders with Senegal.
How can I remember the capital of Gambia?
The blue stripe on the flag is the river, and the country is the river: it follows the Gambia River inland and is surrounded on three sides by Senegal. Banjul is on an island right at the river's mouth.