Gambia River Gambia River The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra) is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and the Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul. It is navigable for about half that length. The river is strongly associated with The Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa, which consists of little more than the downstream half of the river and its two banks. From the Fouta Djallon, the river runs northwest into the Tambacounda Region of Senegal, where it flows through the Parc
The Gambia Department of State, the "Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World" and the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use, the Gambia is one of only two countries whose self-standing short name for official use should begin with the word "The" (the other one being The Bahamas). Upon independence in 1965, the country used the name "The Gambia". Following the proclamation of a republic in 1970, the long-form name of the country became "Republic of The Gambia". The administration of Yahya Jammeh changed the long-form name to "Islamic Republic of The Gambia" in December 2015. On 29 January 2017