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
Military history of The Gambia Giffard was its first General Officer Commanding. His headquarters was established near Accra and his task was to ensure the defence of all West African territories and coordination of military resources in the West African colonies. The first Commanding Officer Gambia Area was appointed on 19 December 1940, in the form of Colonel (Acting) Neil Dewar Rice (he was promoted to Acting Brigadier in August 1941). On 10 December 1941, GHQ West Africa Command was formed to supersede HQ Military Forces West Africa. It had under its command four areas: Nigeria Area, Gold Coast Area, Sierra Leone Area, and Gambia