The Gambia Timeline -- Prehistory to Present Day
A Chronology of Key Events in The Gambia
By Alistair Boddy-Evans, About.com
| 1200s | Fula migrate southwards into region. |
| 1400s to 1600s | Region forms part of the Mali Empire. |
| 1455 | Trading posts are established along the Gambia river by Portuguese merchants. |
| 1618 | Portugal sells its rights to the coastal region to Britain. |
| 1642 | France founds a trading post on the Gambia river. |
| 1644 | First recorded purchase of slaves by British traders. |
| 1661 | Britain founds a trading post on James Island in the Gambia river. |
| 1658 | James Island given over to the Dutch. |
| 1665-1667 | James Island recaptured by Britain during the Second Dutch War. |
| 1763 | French traders and settlers are expelled form the region by Britain. |
| 1765 | Colony of Senegambia created by Britain. |
| 1783 | Senegal ceded by Britain to France. |
| 1807 | Economic importance of The Gambia is ruined by the British abolition of the slave trade. |
| 1816 | Bathurst (now the capital Banjul) is first British port, founded after a prolonged struggle between European countries for dominance of region. |
| 1866-1888 | The Gambia is governed as part of Sierra Leone. |
| 1888 | The Gambia becomes British Crown Colony. |
| 1889 | Boundaries of The Gambia and Senegal agreed between Britain and France. |
| 1894 | The Gambia is now a British protectorate. |
| 1906 | Slavery in The Gambia is abolished. |
| 1945 | The Gambia achieves limited self-government. |
| 1959 | People's Progressive Party founded by Dawda Jawara. |
| 12 June 1962 | Dawda Jawara gains power as prime minister of The Gambia, the following year the country achieves full internal self-government. |
| 18 February 1965 | The Gambia achieves independence within the Commonwealth under prime minister Dawda Jawara. Governor-general John Warburton Paul represents Queen Elisabeth II as head of state. |
| 24 April 1970 | The Gambia is declared a republic following a referendum. Dawda Jawara is president. |
| July to August 1981 | Senegalese troops are called in to suppress an attempted coup d'état led by Kukli Samba Sanyang. At least 500 are killed. |
| 1982 | Federation between Senegal and The Gambia creates the 'Confederation of Senegambia' -- the federation aimed to unify their economies, create a joint currency, and merge both country's armies. |
| 1982 | Federation of Senegambia federation dissolves. |
| 1991 | The Gambia and Senegal sign a treaty of reconciliation. |
| 22 July 1994 | Jawara deposed in a coup d'état. Lieutenant Yahya Jemmeh takes control. |
| 18 October 1996 | New multi-party constitution invoked, but three major opposition parties are banned. Not surprisingly Yahya Jammeh is elected president. |
| 2000 | Government announces that it has quashed and attempted coup d'état. |
| July 2000 | Nine soldiers and businessmen in court for treason over attempted coup earlier in the year. |
| 23 July 2001 | Ban lifted on political parties overthrown in Yammeh's 1994 coup d'état. |
| September 2001 | Lieutenant Landing Sanneh sentenced by military court to 16 years in prison for attempting to overthrow President Jammeh. |
| October 2001 | Jammeh wins second presidential term. Despite concerns within The Gambia, international observers declare the election free and fair. |
| January 2004 | President Jammeh announces the discovery of large oil reserves in The Gambia. |
| December 2004 | Darconian press laws introduced which allows state to try journalists for libel and sedition. One of the law's main opponents, editor Deyda Hydara is shot dead a few days later. |
| March 2005 | In a governmental purge instigated by President Jammeh, 30 senior officials are arrested for corruption and numerous ministers and civil servants sacked. |
| October 2005 | Senegal initiates a transport blockade over exorbitant ferry tariffs in The Gambia (crossing The Gambia is the shortest and quickest route between north and south Senegal). The situation escalates, the economies of both countries begin to suffer, and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo is brought in to broker a deal. |
| July 2006 | Amidst opposition complaints that non Gambians have been allowed to register for the vote, Ndondi Njai, the head of the independent electoral commission is removed from his post. |
| August 2006 | Sighting between Senagalese troops and Casamance separatists causes thousands to flee southern Senegal to The Gambia. |
| September 2006 | Jammeh returns for a third term. |
| January 2007 | The Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (ARPC) wins parliamentary elections, tightening Jammeh's grasp on government. |
| April 2007 | Following another attempted coup d'état 10 ex-army officers are jailed. |
| 15 May 2008 | President Jammeh announces that he will "cut off the head" of any homosexual caught in his country, and warned that legislation "stricter than those in Iran" would soon be introduced. |
More on the History of The Gambia
• A Very Short History of The Gambia
Leaders of The Gambia
• Leaders of The Gambia Since Independence
