Postage stamps and postal history of the Gambia Postage stamps and postal history of the Gambia This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the Gambia. The Gambia is a country in West Africa surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The Gambia River, from which the country takes its name, flows through it. The capital city is Banjul. The first stamps of Gambia were issued in March 1869. The early issues featured an embossed portrait of Queen Victoria. The Gambia achieved independence on 18 February 1965, as a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth. On 24
Constitution of the Gambia Constitution of the Gambia The Constitution of The Gambia is the supreme law of The Gambia. The Gambia became a nation independent from the colonial rule of the British Empire in 1965 and adopted a constitution. The constitution was suspended by a military "coup d'état" in 1994. A revised constitution that came into effect in January 1997 then marked an official return to civilian control of the government, although the leader of the "coup", Yahya Jammeh, remained in power as President for another 20 years and exercised strong "de facto" personal control over the country. Following the presidential election of