What is the capital of The Gambia?

The capital of The Gambia is Banjul. The city stands on St Mary’s Island, where the Gambia River meets the Atlantic Ocean, giving it a strategically important position for administration, trade, and transport.

Banjul was founded in 1816 by the British as a settlement called Bathurst. It was established partly to help enforce the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade and to control access to the river. The settlement was renamed Banjul in 1973, several years after The Gambia became independent in 1965.

Banjul is often confused with Serrekunda, which is larger and part of the wider Greater Banjul Area, or with nearby Bakau and Brikama. Those are important Gambian towns, but they are not the national capital. Banjul remains the country’s official political capital, even though much of the urban population and commercial activity is concentrated outside the city proper.