The Gambia less than wide at its widest point, with a total area of . About (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 less than that of the island of Jamaica. Senegal surrounds the Gambia on three sides, with 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. During the negotiations between the French and the British in Paris, the French initially gave the
The Gambia at the Olympics judoka (2016), and a swimmer (2016), but in all other years the Gambia has been represented solely by runners. The Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) was formed in 1972, but not recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) until 1976. The GNOC is based at Olympic House, Bakau. In April 2014, on government orders, police seized the building and barred GNOC employees from entering. At the same time, the Ministry of Youth and Sports placed a travel ban on GNOC officials. The disruption meant that the Gambia did not send athletes to the 2014 African Youth Games in Botswana. Following