Today is Independence Day, a public holiday in The Gambia. This is the National Day of The Gambia and marks independence from Britain on 18 February 1965.
Located on the west coast of Africa, The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa. it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for the western part, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.[10]
Its territory is on both sides of the lower reaches of the Gambia River, which flows through the center of the country and empties into the Atlantic. The national namesake river demarcates the elongated shape of the country, which has an area of 11,300 square kilometres (4,400 sq mi) and a population of 2,769,075 people in 2024. Arab Muslim merchants traded with native West Africans in The Gambia throughout the 9th and 10th centuries. At the beginning of the 14th century, most of what is today called The Gambia was part of the Mali Empire. The Portuguese reached this area by sea in the mid-15th century and began to dominate overseas trade.In 1455, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to enter The Gambia, although they never established significant trade there. The British Empire established a colony in 1765.
During the 1950s political parties emerged. In 1960, elections were held under a new constitution, with the People’s Progressive Party, led by David Jawara, emerging as a powerful voice and the dominant political party after further elections in 1962.
Following agreements between the British and Gambian Governments in July 1964, The Gambia achieved independence as a constitutional monarchy on 18 February 1965, with Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor-general, as head of state and Jawara as the first prime minister.
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Today is the birthday, in 1952, of Juice Newton, American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician who had the 1981 US No.2 single, ‘Queen Of Hearts’. Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0DK-0fIKCw
