The Gambia, officially the Gambia Republic, is a West African nation that is surrounded almost entirely by Senegal with the exception of its western coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the smallest nation in mainland Africa.

The Gambia is located on both sides of the lower Gambia River, the namesake of the country that passes through Gambia's middle and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. As of the April 2013 census, it has an area of 10,689 square kilometers (4,127 square mi) with a population of 1,857,181.

The Gambia has historical roots in the slave trade with many other Western African nations, which was the key factor in establishing and sustaining a colony on the Gambia River, first by the Portuguese, during which it became known as A Gambia. Later, on 25 May 1765, when the government officially assumed control, the Gambia became part of the British Empire, creating the Province of Senegambia. In the year 1965, Under Dawda Jawara, who ruled until Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless coup in 1994, the Gambia gained independence. Adama Barrow became the third president of The Gambia in January 2017 after beating Jammeh in the polls in December 2016. Jammeh initially accepted the findings, but declined to recognize them, which caused the Western African States ' Economic Community's constitutional crisis and military intervention, resulting in his exile.