Two West African Nations Named After Rivers: Gambia and Gabon

The Gambia and Gabon—both named for the rivers that define them.

• The Gambia: Named for the Gambia River, which bisects the country 300 mi inland to the Atlantic. Smallest mainland African nation.
• Gabon: Named for the Gabon (KomO) River estuary (gabão = “cloak” in Portuguese, describing its shape). Flows through Libreville to Atlantic.

Both are former French (Gabon) / British (Gambia) colonies; both river-centric ecologically and historically.