The Gambia

The Gambia, officially the Republic of the Gambia, is the smallest country within mainland Africa. The Gambia is situated on both sides of the lower reaches of the Gambia River, the nation’s namesake, which flows through the centre of the Gambia and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of 10,689 square kilometres (4,127 sq mi) with a population of 1,857,181.

Tragically the elephant, which was once The Gambia’s national emblem, was long ago hunted to extinction. The last recorded sighting (and subsequent shooting) of an elephant was in 1913. The Gambia, however, contributes to the fight against the illegal ivory trade and the trafficking of ivory through the country.