Gambia
a river of west Africa, ris- Jallon and flowing N. W. and W. to the ing in a mountainous district in Futa Atlantic; length about 1,400 miles. It is navi navigable for 600 miles during seven GAMBIER months of the year for vessels of 150 tons, but from June to November the river becomes a torrent.
The British Colony and Protectorate of GAMBIA Occupies the banks of the river as far up as Georgetown; area, 69 square miles. It embraces St. Mary's Island, containing Bathurst, the chief town of the settlement. 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 S. of Europe for the extraction of oil. Other products are hides, rice, cotton, beeswax, kola nuts, and india-rubber. 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. Pop. about 8,- 000. The protectorate has an area of 4,500 square miles; pop. about 200,000.