The Gambia | A River that Became a Country

The Gambia, it's the African mainland's smallest country and has a border unlike any other. It's long and skinny - just 30 miles across at its widest points - and nearly splits another country (Senegal) in half. The Gambia, in fact, is surrounded by Senegal on three sides. The only bit of the country that doesn’t border Senegal is the very short Gambian coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Somewhat frustratingly for Dakar, this geographical arrangement has isolated a part of southern Senegal, known as the Casamance region, and given rise to separatism. All this begs an obvious question: Why does The Gambia exist in the first place? That's exactly what we'll be exploring: from Portuguese influence to British and French colonialism, independence, and the short-lived Senegambia Confederation. #history #africa #thegambia #senegal #geography #ghostcountries CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro + Why does The Gambia exist? 00:52 It's all in THE name 01:51 Possible origins of THE name 03:01 Triangular Trade + British and French Colonialism 04:23 Gambia Colony and Protectorate and Establishing Bathurst 05:14 Proposed Cession of Gambia to France 06:52 Were cannonballs used to shape Gambia's border? 08:10 Independence, 1981 Gambian Coup, and the Senegambia Confederation 09:59 Casamance Conflict 💬 Discord (https://discord.gg/KAzFCTvy) 📸 Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ghostcountries.official/) 👍 Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GhostCountriesYT/) 🔴 RECOMMENDED VIDEOS on the channel about Africa: 🎥 Mussolini, Gaddafi, and the Forgotten History of Africa's Sarra Triangle (https://youtu.be/wmnC5KuGtlo) 🎥 Sagallo: Russia's African Colony (https://youtu.be/F5VYl76eEFY) 🎥 The Battle of Sagallo: Downfall of Russia's African Colony (https://youtu.be/b-wvDzCJCBw) 🎥 Colonial Borders | GHANA and WESTERN TOGOLAND (https://youtu.be/OE7dzdjKFfA) 🎥 Africa's Forgotten War | MOROCCO and the SAHRAWI ARAB DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC (https://youtu.be/gfEvanZV0m4) 🎥 Cabinda & the Ongoing Struggle for Africa's Kuwait (https://youtu.be/zVQ1tZVVu3c) 🎥 Africa's Lost Kingdom: Makuria (https://youtu.be/aW_ghjrIcjg) 🎥 Rise of the Mamluks and Downfall of Makuria (https://youtu.be/oGTUkbCkh3M) Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC by 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Intro Animation + Character Design: Emily Clearwater (iamprettyawesome.co.nz) Background Music: Arid Foothills - The Dark Contenent by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100437 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Big Drumming by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/music.html Artist: http://incompetech.com/