British Colonization of The Gambia: 1661 Trading Post to 1894 Crown Colony

The Gambia's colonization was a slow, river-centric process—distinct from the scramble-era land grabs.

Timeline

• 1661: Royal African Company builds Fort James on Kunta Kinteh (James) Island—slave trade depot.
• 1765: Crown assumes control (Senegambia colony). Abandoned 1783.
• 1816: Bathurst (now Banjul) founded on St. Mary's Island—anti-slave-trade naval base.
• 1821–1843: Administered from Sierra Leone.
• 1843: Separate crown colony.
• 1888: Anglo-French Convention defines borders (10 km each side of river).
• 1894: Protectorate declared over inland territories—formal colonization complete.
• 1965: Independence.

Why So Narrow?

The colony followed the Gambia River—Britain wanted the navigation route; France surrounded it (Senegal). The 1888 treaty froze a 320-km finger of land, 30–50 km wide.

Colonial Economy

Groundnuts (peanuts) replaced slaves as export. No mineral wealth. Indirect rule through chiefs. Minimal infrastructure—river was the road.

The Gambia: a river colony, carved by treaty, late to formalize, first to leave (smallest mainland African state).