Flag of Gambia
Africa
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Banjul
- Flag adopted
- 1965
- Population
- 2,422,712
- Area
- 10,689 km²
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- dalasi (D) — GMD
- Demonym
- Gambian
- Government
- presidential republic
- Subregion
- Western Africa
- Driving side
- Right
- Timezones
- UTC+00:00
- Independence
- 1965
Religions
- Muslim 96.4%
- Christian 3.5%
- Other 0.1%
About This Flag
Three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (center), and green (bottom), separated by two narrow white stripes. The blue band is slightly wider than the red and green bands.
The flag was designed by Louis Thomasi and adopted on February 18, 1965, upon independence from the United Kingdom. Unusually for Africa, the flag has no connection to any political party and was chosen specifically to represent the nation's geography rather than its politics.
The design has remained unchanged since independence.
What the colors & design mean
Red represents the sun and the surrounding savanna. The blue central band symbolizes the Gambia River, which flows through the entire length of the country and is its defining geographic feature. Green represents the agricultural land and forests. The white stripes signify unity and peace.
Pattern: Horizontal Stripes
Bordering countries (1)
Fun Facts
- The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, essentially a narrow strip of land following both banks of the Gambia River, which the flag's blue stripe directly represents.
- The Gambia is almost entirely surrounded by Senegal, making it one of the most unusual geographic shapes of any nation in the world.
- The flag was the result of a national competition, and its designer Louis Thomasi was a Gambian accountant, not a professional designer.
- Despite its small size, The Gambia is one of Africa's most popular birdwatching destinations, with over 560 recorded species.
Similar looking flags
These flags share similar colors and patterns:
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