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 was appointed Governor of the Gambia, and so moved the headquarters for British troops in West Africa to The Gambia. Following World War I, the armed forces of the British West African colonies were put under the control of their respective colonial governments. An Inspector General of African Colonial Forces was appointed to oversee their training and advise the colonial governments. At the outbreak of war in September 1939, The Gambia was only defended by the Gambia Company, officially part of the Sierra Leone Battalion. HQ Military Forces West Africa was formed on 7 July 1940, and Lieutenant General George