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Why this little African country is called The Gambia and not just Gambia

The only other country whose name correctly has the definite article is another small but popular tourist destination 'The Bahamas'.

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For a country of that size, The Gambia, punched well above its weight in terms of drawing global attention to its pristine shores.

While many may have not known or knew very little about the country until Yahya Jammeh refused to relinquish power after losing the December 2016 elections, it has generated a lot of interest in the country.

One of the things people are wondering about is why is the county called The Gambia and not simply Gambia?

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Well, a definite article was added to the country’s name for two reasons according to English linguist David Crystal.

To begin with, when the Portuguese first explored the present-day country, they named it ‘A Gâmbia’, after the local river which runs through the country. When Britain took over as the imperial power, the name was maintained.

It is actually very common to have a definite article precede the name of a river or any other water body for that matter. Some examples include; the Volta River, the Limpopo River and the Atlantic Ocean.

Then before the country gained political independence from Britain on February 18, 1965, Harold Wilson, the British Prime Minister called on the Permanent Committee to request that the name be maintained.

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The Permanent Committee is a body in Britain whose main function is to advice the government on the proper writing of geographical names.

Wilson’s plea was because the soon to be independent country could be confused with Zambia, another British colony which had been recently independent four months prior. Gambia, Zambia, perfectly understandable reason.

Since independence, The Gambia, surrounded Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean, has been a relatively peaceful country under the authoritarian rule of Dawda Jawara and Yahya Jammeh.

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