The Gambia is truly fascinating. Not only is it the smallest country within mainland Africa, but it is a country entirely defined by a river. In fact, it’s river shaped. River Gambia shaped to be precise.

Today I’m so short of time so I’m going to try something a little different. I’m going to share a couple of interesting facts and longer reads about the Gambia. 

So anyway, here is today’s reading list.

Memories Linger Where NASA Lights Shone in Gambia

Gambia’s rather unremarkable Banjul International Airport has a rather unique claim to fame. It was in the perfect location to serve as an emergency landing site for NASA’s Space Shuttles.  So, as part of the Space Shuttle programme, NASA extended and improved the main runway at Banjul International Airport so it could function as a transoceanic abort landing site for the Space Shuttle programme. 

Article - Memories Linger Where NASA Lights Shone in Gambia - New York Times

The True Origin of The Gambia’s Bizarre Borders

The entire country of The Gambia hugs the River Gambia and is enveloped completely by the French-speaking country of Senegal. But why do its borders have this bizarre shape? Unsurprisingly for an African country, the answer lies in Gambia’s colonial past.  Gambia’s borders are defined by a colonial tussle between the British and French and the range of the cannonballs being shot from British ships.

Article - The True Origin of The Gambia’s Bizarre Borders - Atlas Obscura