The Country Said to Be Created Around A Cannon's Range
The strange shape of Africa's smallest mainland country and the colonial deal behind it
The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa. It’s a thin ribbon, never more than 31 miles (~50km) wide and approximately 200 miles (~300km) long. It looks like someone drew it with a ruler along a river. Because, mostly, they did.
The popular story is that a British warship sailed up the Gambia River firing cannonballs off each side, claiming whatever land they could reach. It’s a great story. It’s also mostly myth, sadly. The real border was drawn in Paris in 1889. The French had long recognized Britain's claim to the Gambia River (that’s nice). So British and French diplomats simply agreed to take 10km either side of the river and call it British territory.
No cannonballs. Just two colonial powers in a room, drawing lines through land like they owned the place. Shocker.