Gambia

Gambia, a river of Western Africa, the more southerly of the two great streams of Senegambia, enters the Atlantic after a course estimated at over 1400 miles, by an estuary which in some parts measures nearly 27 miles across, but contracts to little more than 2 at the mouth (Bathurst, 13° 24' N. lat., 16° 36' W. long.). It is navigable from June to November for vessels of 150 tons up to Barraconda, about 400 miles from the sea. The whole of the lower river, extending to Georgetown, 180 miles from Bathurst, is British waters. Below Barraconda the river overflows its banks in the rainy season, and, like the Nile, leaves a fertile deposit of mud.—The British settlement of Gambia occupies the banks of the river as far up as Georgetown, though not continuously. Its actual area is about 69 sq. m., embracing St Mary's Island, a sandbank about 3½ miles long by ¼ broad, mostly covered with low swamps, but containing Bathurst (q.v.); British Combo, on the mainland opposite; Albrieda, on the north bank; the Ceded Mile; and McCarthy's Island, with Georgetown. The climate is officially described as only 'fairly healthy during the dry months.' Besides the weaving of cotton into native cloths, there are manufactures of vegetable oils and bricks, and some boat-building. The staple product is the groundnut, which is exported to the south of Europe for the extraction of oil, although this trade has declined since 1858. Other products are hides, rice, cotton, beeswax, kola nuts, and india-rubber, and there is an active entrepôt trade with the neighbouring French settlements in cotton goods, spirits, rice, kola nuts, and hardware. The imports have an annual value of from £150,000 to £175,000; the exports from £120,000 to £200,000. The trade is mainly in French hands. The revenue (not always covering the expenditure) fluctuates from £25,000 to £30,000. Formerly a dependency of Sierra Leone, the settlement was created an independent colony in 1843, and became a portion of the West African Settlements in 1876; in 1888 it was made a separate government. The settlement is connected with Europe by telegraph cables, and the Liverpool mail-steamers call fortnightly. Pop. (1894) 14,978, including 62 Europeans, 2385 native Christians, and 5300 Mohammedans. Except for the British strip (total area, 2700 sq. m., pop. 50,000), the basin of the Gambia is French territory. See SENEGAMBIA.