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Gambia is a sliver in the side of Africa, one of its tiniest countries, but its attractions are just as bright as any in the region. Its capital city, Banjul, is a uniquely African experience, with a streetside culture that chases away the holiday daze of glitzier cities.

While there are no suprises up Gambia's sleeve in terms of temperature, the heat is mildest along the coastline, and the amount and duration of rainfall lessens as you head inland. November to March sees the least rain and most sun, with the mercury making a small climb during the day to peak consistently around 32°C (89°F).

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As early as AD 500, towns and villages based on agriculture and the knowledge of iron were dotted across the West African region. As the first millennium progressed, trade increased significantly between the regions north and south of the Sahara.

In the 14th century, the Empire of Mali - founded by Sundiata Keita, leader of the Malinké people - encompassed the area from the Atlantic coast of today's Gambia and Senegal all the way to Niger and Nigeria. This vast empire controlled nearly all the trans-Saharan trade, and contact with the rulers of the Arab states to the north led the Mali rulers to embrace Islam with great enthusiasm. By the mid-15th century, the Mali empire was waning in influence, and a group of Malinké people migrated into the valley of the Gambia River. They brought Islam with them and became known as the Mandinka.

In the early 15th century, Prince Henry of Portugal began encouraging navigators to sail down the coast of West Africa, hoping to bypass the Arab and Muslim domination of the trans-Saharan gold trade, which by that time was the cornerstone of Portugal's finances. Gambia's first contact with Europeans came in 1456, when these navigators landed on James Island about 30km (19mi) upriver from the sea. Although the Portuguese didn't establish a settlement, they continued to monopolise trade along the West African coast throughout the 16th century. In their trading posts, salt, iron, pots and pans, firearms and gunpowder were exchanged for ivory, ebony, beeswax, gold and slaves. (It's been suggested that the Gambia River's name stems from the Portuguese word cambio, meaning 'exchange,' or, in this context, 'trade'.)

By 1530, Portugal had established settlements in Brazil, and over the next 70 years large commercial estates there led to a demand for labourers, which the Portuguese began to import from West Africa. Although slavery had existed in Africa for many centuries, the Portuguese developed the trade on a massive scale and maintained a virtual monopoly on it until the mid-16th century, when Britain joined the trade. By the 1650s, Portugal had been largely ousted by the French and British.

The first European settlement in Gambia was made by Baltic Germans, who built a fort on James Island in 1651. Ten years later, they were displaced by the British, who were themselves ever under threat from French ships, pirates and the mainland African kings. Fort James lost its strategic appeal with the construction of new forts at Barra and Bathurst (now Banjul) at the mouth of the Gambia River, which were better placed to control the movement of ships, though Fort James continued to serve as a slave collection point until the trade was abolished.

Britain declared the Gambia River a British Protectorate in 1820 and for many years ruled it from Sierra Leone. In 1886, Gambia became a crown colony, and the following year France and Britain drew the boundaries between Senegal (by then a French colony) and Gambia.

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With the slave trade at an end, the British were forced to come up with a new source of wealth to support the fledgling protectorate, which led to the planting of groundnuts (peanuts) along the river. The harvested nuts are crushed to make oil, which is exported to Europe for use in food manufacture. In the 1950s, Gambia's groundnut production was beefed up as a way to increase export earnings and make the country more self-supportive, and today groundnuts remain the chief crop of both Gambia and neighbouring Senegal.

In 1965, Gambia became independent (although Britain's Queen Elizabeth II remained as titular head of state), and without any official explanation the The was added to its name. Around the same time, two events occurred that enabled the tiny nation to survive and even prosper. For a decade after independence, the world price for groundnuts increased significantly, raising the country's GNP almost threefold. The second event had an even more resounding effect - Gambia became a significant tourist destination.

Economic growth translated into political confidence, and in 1970 Gambia became a fully independent republic. Troubles in the 1980s began with falling groundnut prices, while the government of President Dawda Jawara did little to diversify the economy. Several coup attempts were quelled with the assistance of Senegalese troops, who were integrated with Gambian troops in 1982 as the Senegambian Confederation, while Jawara made some noncommittal noises about an eventual Senegambian country. In 1989, the confederation was dissolved and both countries imposed severe border restrictions. Tensions ran high well into 1990.

A protest by soldiers over late salaries in July 1994 turned into a coup d'etat, led by a young lieutenant, Yahya Jammeh, who appeared in public wearing combat fatigues and dark sunglasses - a look that did little to endear him to the international community. A new military government was formed, and Jammeh announced that he would remain in power at least until 1998.

After a brief flirtation with autocracy, the 30-year-old Jammeh bowed to international pressure, inaugurated a Second Republic and contrived to win the September 1996 presidential election comfortably. He reportedly suppressed a coup attempt in 2000 and won a second term in October 2001 - against parties he'd outlawed in 1994 - in elections reported as largely fair. Nevertheless, corruption remains widespread.

It's the president's sense of theatrics, his ambitious public works program and the climate of stability he's engendered that have lent him wide appeal. This appeal was given a boost in Feburary 2004, when Jammeh announced the discovery of a significant reserve of oil in Gambian waters. It's hoped the attendant revenues may take the place of those once earned from the peanut market, which has collapsed.

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The Gambia's main airport is Banjul International, about 20km (12mi) southwest of the city centre and 15km (9mi) southeast of the Atlantic coast resorts. It's served by scheduled and charter flights to and from western Europe and other African states, with connections to other parts of the world. An airport tax of 7.00 is levied upon leaving Gambia and is payable in any hard currency.

With Senegal surrounding Gambia on all sides save the western coastline, getting in and out of the country by land used to involve a change of vehicle at the border. Thankfully, this is no longer the case. There are bush taxis and buses available to most destinations in Senegal for a reasonable cost. If you're driving between Banjul and Dakar or Ziguinchor, Senegal, the roads are tarred.

There are two main routes through the country: the tar road along the southern side of the river and the dirt road along the northern bank. Transport upcountry along the southern side is mainly the business of the Gambia Public Transport Corporation buses, while northern-side travel is mostly by bush taxi.

Local taxis are widely available, with fares depending on the distance and duration of the trip. 'Town taxis' are painted yellow and are used mostly for local trips around Banjul and the Atlantic coast resorts. 'Tourist taxis' are painted green and can go anywhere in the country.

The Gambia River used to be the primary transport route between Banjul and Georgetown, but not any more. There are private charters available for those who wish to follow the ways of old. River Gambia Excursions runs a passenger-boat service along the Gambia River between Tendaba and Georgetown, but the trip can be taken from the Georgetown end only as part of a 14-day tour. A high-speed riverboat linking Banjul and Georgetown should now be operating.

Car rental agencies are present in the major tourist areas, and, despite the country's British heritage, driving is on the right. For the eco-conscious, hiring a bicycle for a few days or a week is a perfect way to get around this flat, bike-friendly country. Rentals are available in tourist areas, and where no formal facilities exist, locals are sometimes willing to rent theirs out to visitors.

(All information courtesy of Lonely Planet)

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