Gambia Armed Forces defence and security in The Gambia was the responsibility of the Field Force. The Field Force was a paramilitary unit of the police, consisting of roughly 140 men at independence and rising to around 500 in 1980. It has been formed in 1958 following the disbandment of the Gambia Regiment, part of the British Army. There was little concern about security in The Gambia due to its small size and the safety provided by being totally surrounded by Senegal, with which it had signed a mutual defence pact in 1965. This lax attitude to defence changed following the 1981 coup
Christianity in the Gambia Christianity in the Gambia Christians in the Gambia constitute approximately 8 percent (~136,400) of the country's population (1,705,000 - 2009 est.) The government did not establish a state religion, but the predominant religion is Islam, practised by approximately 90% 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; there are also several Protestant groups including Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and various small evangelical denominations. In 1963 the Gambia Christian Council